Schools

Long and Winding Road to a Permanent Berkeley Schools Superintendent Continues

Board of Education slated to discuss matter at special meeting tonight

It's been a tumultuous year and a half since Arlene J. Lippincott was appointed to serve as interim superintendent of the Berkeley Township school district.

And she may find out whether she can or cannot add the word "permanent" to her job description soon. The answer could come at the Board of Education's special meeting slated for 6:30 p.m tonight at the Berkeley Township Elementary School.

There are two names on the list for discussion — Lippincott's and former Superintendent Joseph H. Vicari.

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"I'm not saying we are hiring either one of them," board Vice President John Bacchione said Wednesday.

It's been a complicated path to the selection of a permanent superintendent, marred by what is described by some to be political infighting among board members. 

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Lippincott took over back in mid-2009, after a previous board decided not to renew Vicari's contract back in 2008. Vicari has said that decision was a political one. His contract ran out in June 2009. Lippincott agreed to serve as interim superintendent for $100 a day, in addition to her job as principal of the Bayville Elementary School.

Vicari said late last year he would be willing to serve as an interim superintendent free of charge — no benefits, no salary, no gas money, nada — until the board finally settled on a permanent one. He has said repeatedly he has no interest in any more full-time jobs in education, either in Berkeley or anywhere else. And he doesn't want to be considered for Ocean County schools superintendent, a position now open since Gov. Chris Christie did not renew Bruce Greenfield's contract last month.

But board member Dawn Parks isn't sure she buys the theory that Vicari is offering out of the goodness of his heart.

"Why would Joe Vicari want to come back for nothing?" she said.

And Parks contends it's improper to have a contract written without a stipulated dollar amount.

Board members took a vote at last week's regular board meeting and agreed 5 to 1 to bring Vicari —who also is a longtime Ocean County freeholder — back into the fold as interim superintendent. Vicari, if he is selected, could serve in the position for up to two years, according to state pension rules, Bacchione said.

"He'll stay as long as he can stay," Bacchione said. "It's not going to be a temporary thing, like a month or two. It would be a minimum of a year or longer."

The board voted 5 – 1, with one abstention on the first vote. Parks voted no. Board member Patrick Riley abstained.

"I have nothing personal against the man," Parks said Wednesday. "We've been on this for 18 months. We selected Arleen in October. She was to go into negotiations."

The board voted 7-0 after an Oct. 7 closed session to authorize board attorney John Sahradnik to begin negotiations with Lippincott for a possible three-year superintendent's contract. But in December, several board members invited Vicari to a personnel committee meeting to discuss him coming back, a move that infuriated board member Patrick Riley.

At last week's meeting, board members voted again. They took a second vote to table the first vote to bring Vicari back. Getting a little dizzy? The second vote was taken because Parks says that Sahradnik has no business drawing up any contracts, since he also serves a county counsel for the freeholder board. Parks says letting Sahradnik handle the matter would be a conflict of interest, since he is already serving other masters.

So conflict attorney Michael Gross will attend tonight's meeting, both Parks and Bacchione said.


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