BOE STICKS TAXPAYERS

[Guest BLOOD THIRSTY]

It never ends. After a lengthy discussion a week ago that non-experienced, non-certified, friend of BOE members, acting Super Patty Blood was assuming the role of Super, BUT, keeping her existing salary. She was not getting paid ANYTHING additional!!! Fast forward 1 week and BAM, stick it to us !!!!!!! She now is being given a STIPEND totally over $25,0000.00 on top of her already inflated $140,000.00 salary. So now we are paying (2) TWO SUPERINTENDENT SALARIES. So Patty Blood, is now making $165,000.00 to ACT as Super, with no experience, no certification and NO RECORD of IMPROVING EDUCATION IN HER 3 YEARS AS DIRECTOR of Curriculum here in Kearny!!!! IT'S ALL ABOUT GIVING YOUR FRIENDS MONEY AND JOBS, NOT EDUCATION, NOT KIDS AND ABSOLUTELY SUCKING THE BLOOD OUT OF TAXPAYERS WALLETS !!!!!!!

Edited January 26, 2014 by KOTW
The above information has not been confirmed.

[Guest Guest]

It never ends. After a lengthy discussion a week ago that non-experienced, non-certified, friend of BOE members, acting Super Patty Blood was assuming the role of Super, BUT, keeping her existing salary. She was not getting paid ANYTHING additional!!! Fast forward 1 week and BAM, stick it to us !!!!!!! She now is being given a STIPEND totally over $25,0000.00 on top of her already inflated $140,000.00 salary. So now we are paying (2) TWO SUPERINTENDENT SALARIES. So Patty Blood, is now making $165,000.00 to ACT as Super, with no experience, no certification and NO RECORD of IMPROVING EDUCATION IN HER 3 YEARS AS DIRECTOR of Curriculum here in Kearny!!!! IT'S ALL ABOUT GIVING YOUR FRIENDS MONEY AND JOBS, NOT EDUCATION, NOT KIDS AND ABSOLUTELY SUCKING THE BLOOD OUT OF TAXPAYERS WALLETS !!!!!!!

Thank you, KOTW, for posting the disclaimer. I would like to see the facts from a reliable source. The posting here is coming from someone who doesn't like the current Board majority, whom we the people just voted in. Show us facts and show us where we can verify your claims. Else this is just the usual know-nothing shouting and complaining. Goodness knows, there's plenty to complain about with the BOE. But this isn't how to do it. This does not help the community or our students.

[Guest THE BALLS IN YOUR COURT]

Thank you, KOTW, for posting the disclaimer. I would like to see the facts from a reliable source. The posting here is coming from someone who doesn't like the current Board majority, whom we the people just voted in. Show us facts and show us where we can verify your claims. Else this is just the usual know-nothing shouting and complaining. Goodness knows, there's plenty to complain about with the BOE. But this isn't how to do it. This does not help the community or our students.

The author of the post is right on target. If you attended the past 2 boe meetings you would have heard it first hand, my guess is that you are involved, either a current boe member or front office employee, who is on the friend and family plan people write about and is trying to distort the TRUE FACTS. Everything posted is accurate and if you OPRA request a copy of the meeting audio you will HEAR in their own voices the confirming of the authors statements. To clarify for you here are the facts addressed right in order:

1- Special Meeting 1/13/2014 - Board questioned by Mayor Santos about paying 2 Supers, Board response was "we are not paying 2 Supers Patty is acting Super at her current salary and is not receiving any additional money". BOE meeting 1/23/2014, Patty Blood is given $21,382.00 in stipend for assuming the role of acting Super

2- Stipend for Acting Super === $21,382.00 FACT

3- Dir. of Curriculum Salary 2013-2014 ==== $143,473.00 FACT

4-In Ms. Blood's own words, "never been a Superintendent", "never been a Principal", "was a Vice Principal in Freehold for 6 months", before coming to Kearny, "do not have a Chief School Administrators Certificate", "have a Certificate of eligibility".

5- She has been Director of Curriculum for three years and if you attended the State Assessment presentation in October you would have heard first hand that 4 of 5 elementary schools are FAILING. I would say that constitutes "No Improvement of Education over her 3 years in charge of curriculum".

So, if you are really truly concerned and want the FACTS and don't want to believe what I just wrote you can do the following:

1- Stop by the Board office on Davis Ave. and ask for a copy of the State Assessment. You do not have to OPRA request that because it was presented at Schuyler School Oct 21, 2013 and the Assessment was copied and left for the public to pick up and review.

2- OPRA request the audio tape (CD) of the BOE meeting from 1/13/14 and from 1/23/14 and you will hear for yourself the above FACTS you challenge.

3- OPRA request the 2013-2014 Salary for Ms. Blood and if you can wait a week the minutes from the 1/23/2014 meeting "should" be posted on the BOE website, so you can save a dollar or two for the OPRA request showing the stipends given to her totally $21,382.00.

Now, the fact you wrote "the posting here comes from someone who doesn't like the current board majority, whom "WE" the people just voted in". tells me you are not un biased, have a loyalty towards these scoundrels and you are trying to cover up or distort the facts which you already know are TRUE.

I told you how to verify the claims, the rest is up to you. If you truly want to help the community or students verify the "claims" for yourself and than speak up and help your community since "YOU" just voted for these people.

[Guest 2nd Ward Voter]

FACT: Ms. Blood was the Director of Curriculum for grades 6-12, Ms. Flora Encarancao is Director of Curriculum/Testing for PreK-5. So if the elementary schools are failing, Ms. Blood is not the responsible Director of Curriculum.

[Guest Guest]

The author of the post is right on target. If you attended the past 2 boe meetings you would have heard it first hand, my guess is that you are involved, either a current boe member or front office employee, who is on the friend and family plan people write about and is trying to distort the TRUE FACTS. Everything posted is accurate and if you OPRA request a copy of the meeting audio you will HEAR in their own voices the confirming of the authors statements. To clarify for you here are the facts addressed right in order:

1- Special Meeting 1/13/2014 - Board questioned by Mayor Santos about paying 2 Supers, Board response was "we are not paying 2 Supers Patty is acting Super at her current salary and is not receiving any additional money". BOE meeting 1/23/2014, Patty Blood is given $21,382.00 in stipend for assuming the role of acting Super

2- Stipend for Acting Super === $21,382.00 FACT

3- Dir. of Curriculum Salary 2013-2014 ==== $143,473.00 FACT

4-In Ms. Blood's own words, "never been a Superintendent", "never been a Principal", "was a Vice Principal in Freehold for 6 months", before coming to Kearny, "do not have a Chief School Administrators Certificate", "have a Certificate of eligibility".

5- She has been Director of Curriculum for three years and if you attended the State Assessment presentation in October you would have heard first hand that 4 of 5 elementary schools are FAILING. I would say that constitutes "No Improvement of Education over her 3 years in charge of curriculum".

So, if you are really truly concerned and want the FACTS and don't want to believe what I just wrote you can do the following:

1- Stop by the Board office on Davis Ave. and ask for a copy of the State Assessment. You do not have to OPRA request that because it was presented at Schuyler School Oct 21, 2013 and the Assessment was copied and left for the public to pick up and review.

2- OPRA request the audio tape (CD) of the BOE meeting from 1/13/14 and from 1/23/14 and you will hear for yourself the above FACTS you challenge.

3- OPRA request the 2013-2014 Salary for Ms. Blood and if you can wait a week the minutes from the 1/23/2014 meeting "should" be posted on the BOE website, so you can save a dollar or two for the OPRA request showing the stipends given to her totally $21,382.00.

Now, the fact you wrote "the posting here comes from someone who doesn't like the current board majority, whom "WE" the people just voted in". tells me you are not un biased, have a loyalty towards these scoundrels and you are trying to cover up or distort the facts which you already know are TRUE.

I told you how to verify the claims, the rest is up to you. If you truly want to help the community or students verify the "claims" for yourself and than speak up and help your community since "YOU" just voted for these people.

Most of that is fair except your guess about who I am is incorrect. I have no connection to the BOE or anyone on it. My sole interest in this is as a citizen, Kearny resident and taxpayer.

That "we the people" voted in the current majority is a fact, regardless of who I voted for or whether I voted in that election at all. Furthermore, we the people voted based on the available choices. If you would like to identify yourself and run, or put forward a slate of candidates that would move past the friends and family paradigm, which I acknowledge has plagued the Kearny BOE for as long as I can remember, please do. However, please do not propose to return the Leadbeater faction to power because that was worse.

[Guest STOP THE BLEEDING]

FACT: Ms. Blood was the Director of Curriculum for grades 6-12, Ms. Flora Encarancao is Director of Curriculum/Testing for PreK-5. So if the elementary schools are failing, Ms. Blood is not the responsible Director of Curriculum.

Fact: the testing and failing scores are predominantly in 6th, 7th and 8th grade the MOST important years of a students growth and development. THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT MS. BLOOD IS RESPONSIBLE SOLELY FOR THOSE CHILDREN.......WHAT A SHAME !!!!!! DON'T TRY TO POINT BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE WHEN YOU ALREADY KNOW AND ADMIT WHO IS AT FAULT.

[Guest Guest]

Fact: the testing and failing scores are predominantly in 6th, 7th and 8th grade the MOST important years of a students growth and development. THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT THAT MS. BLOOD IS RESPONSIBLE SOLELY FOR THOSE CHILDREN.......WHAT A SHAME !!!!!! DON'T TRY TO POINT BLAME ON SOMEONE ELSE WHEN YOU ALREADY KNOW AND ADMIT WHO IS AT FAULT.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade the MOST important....where did you get that nonsense? The most important years of student growth and development take place in their formative years - early childhood education - preschool through 2nd grade. Those are the years that children are developing into students, learning the basics of reading and mathematics skills. By 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are putting those skills to work with higher order thinking and problem solving skills.

1988: MEd - EC Education, FDU

[Guest ReasonableEducator]

6th, 7th, and 8th grade the MOST important....where did you get that nonsense? The most important years of student growth and development take place in their formative years - early childhood education - preschool through 2nd grade. Those are the years that children are developing into students, learning the basics of reading and mathematics skills. By 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are putting those skills to work with higher order thinking and problem solving skills.

1988: MEd - EC Education, FDU

Don't criticize Stop the Bleeding. You're right the early years are important for developing basic skills but the best predictor of whether a child will graduate high school and enroll in college is 6th, 7th and 8th grade performance. Your citation to that FDU study is dated (25 years old); education has changed substantially in the past 25 years. I copied below an excerpt of a recent widely acclaimed study from 2008. Let's engage in a respectful debate. Calling something nonsense, when it's an accepted view by professionals is the equivalent of cyber-bullying.

Increased attention to what happens in middle school is largely due to emerging evidence that middle school academic achievement, behavioral patterns, and parental influence impacts high school completion and college enrollment. The sense of urgency associated with addressing soaring high school dropout rates and the increasing importance of completing college has pushed the examination of middle school experiences further. Indeed, in order to address high school completion and college enrollment, it becomes imperative to examine the entire schooling trajectory to identify different intervention opportunities.In this review, middle school academic outcomes are featured as strong predictors of who is likely to drop out of high school or not enroll in college. Failing classes and being placed in low ability groups are fairly visible indicators that can point to which students may be at-risk of dropping out. In addition to individual student factors, it is important to consider structural limitations that can impact academic outcomes in middle school and thus point to policy intervention. Teacher preparation and training materialized as a factor to consider when evaluating academic achievement in middle school.