Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/21/05

Put a stop to bullying

While your article on the fight at Matawan Avenue Middle School was not surprising, it was disturbing. ("Cops probe fight at middle school," May 9.)

There have been serious problems with bullying at the school since my child was a student there, particularly during 2002-2003 when he was in the eighth grade. Not only was my child harassed, but I encountered several other parents who, unsolicited, related their experiences and concerns with bullying at the school.

Bullying is a problem at many schools. But those schools are not denying the problem and are attempting to address it. The article indicates things may have only become worse since my child was a student. It escalated to the point where a child was seriously injured. But just as disturbing was the response from the school administration. It attempted to place the blame on the victim. The superintendent stated it appears the incident was the result of "horseplay." Where were the adults who should be supervising children to ensure that things don't escalate to the point of serious physical injury? And how can it be described as horseplay when a child has to be hospitalized?

The student who caused the concussion should be expelled and transferred to a facility better equipped to handle and help him. The administration should recognize and address the problem. The parents and taxpayers of the district should demand an immediate, effective response. What will it take to remedy this problem - another injury, a lawsuit, a death?

Cynthia Grinberg

NEW MILFORD, CONN.

FORMER ABERDEEN RESIDENT

Matawan-Aberdeen OKs school budget cuts

Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/19/05

BY JUSTIN VELLUCCI
KEYPORT BUREAU

The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District will slash $765,000 - but not cut funding for any educational programs - from a $56.9 million budget defeated by voters April 19.

The cuts account for less than 2 percent of the local tax levy, which will drop from $40,860,643 to $40,095,643. That translates into a school tax rate increase of 13.89 cents per $100 of assessed property value in Aberdeen and 5.9 cents per $100 of assessed property value in Matawan, Business Administrator and board Secretary Laura Venter said.

Aberdeen's 13.9-cent increase represents a 4.32 percent hike from last year's taxes, and Matawan's 5.9-cent increase is a 1.95 percent hike, Venter said.

Originally, the proposed school budget came with a tax rate increase of 16.98 cents in Aberdeen and 8.7 cents in Matawan.

Both Aberdeen Township Council and Matawan Borough Council approved the adjusted tax rates Tuesday night. At least one Aberdeen resident, however, felt the two governing bodies didn't cut deeply enough.

"Sometimes you've got to say no to your children," said Bill Dunphy, who declined to provide his age. "You can't give them everything they want."

The school district will spend $1 million from its surplus - compared to the originally proposed $750,000 - to help fund the 2005-06 budget. Superintendent Bruce Quinn said recent teacher negotiations played a big role in being able to trim the budget without trimming student programs.

Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District will save about $600,000 when teachers switch from coverage under Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Oxford Health Plans in the 2005-06 school year, Venter said. The teachers' union and the school district settled terms of their new agreement after the budget already had been defeated.

While the towns could not overturn two public questions defeated by voters last month, they did put $122,500 into the 2005-06 budget for one of the question's proposed purchases - security improvements at district schools, Matawan Business Administrator Brian Valentino said.

"We thought . . . that was money well-spent in the long term," said Valentino, citing the Labor Day fire at Matawan Avenue Middle School.

Aberdeen Mayor David G. Sobel said Wednesday officials are in a tough spot when evaluating the budget - caught between the tax impact and the district's needs.

"The bottom line is that in no way do you want any proposed cuts to impact the thorough and efficient education that the kids deserve," Sobel said.

The $765,000 cut, given the size of the district's budget, is roughly on par with what other New Jersey municipalities have taken out of defeated budgets, Venter said. The New Jersey Association of School Business Officials estimated that towns recommended an average cut of 2.11 percent in defeated 2004-05 budgets, she said.

Quinn said Wednesday he's glad to see the defeated budget come to a resolution.

"If you can get a settlement that's amiable between the parties (and) achieves tax relief, and have it work off the cost-containment efforts that the board achieved without having to really affect programs, I think that's a win for everybody," he said.

Justin Vellucci: (732) 888-2617 or jvellucci@app.com

N.J. may raise bar for earning high school diploma

Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/19/05

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNT LAUREL - New Jersey students who do not pass a standardized test would have a tougher time getting high school diplomas, but would have more chances to take the exam, under a plan unveiled Wednesday by the state Education Department.

Commissioner William L. Librera is a longtime critic of the process known as the Special Review Assessment, which allows students to graduate without passing the High School Proficiency Assessment. Now, he wants to phase out that path to graduation.

"We think the SRA hurts the very kids it's designed to help," Librera said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. "It erodes the meaning and integrity of the high school diploma."

The special process was introduced in the 1980s, mostly for special-education students. But it's become more widely used. Nearly 20 percent of New Jersey high school students follow the alternate path to graduation - including about half in 31 Abbott districts - poor, mostly urban school districts - that get extra attention and money from the state.

"We just can't believe that one in five of our kids can't pass this test," Librera said. The exam measures students' skills in reading and math.

Students now take the HSPA for the first time in the spring of their junior year and can get two more cracks at it as seniors. In his new plan, Librera would have students take the test in the fall of their junior year so they could have four chances to pass the test over two years. They also would take a practice test as sophomores.

"It makes a lot of sense," said Long Branch Superintendent Joseph Ferraina of the extra test-takings. "That's a very good move."

Under the alternate process, students who fail the big HSPA exam as juniors can get special instruction and earn their diplomas by passing a series of more narrowly focused exams.

Change would phase in

Librera's proposal would eliminate that method for students who fail the literacy tests, starting with those entering ninth grade in September. The alternate route for math would be phased out starting with students who will enter seventh grade in the fall. In the meantime, the Education Department is trying to overhaul the math curriculum so that students will have a background in algebra before they get to high school.

Ferraina wouldn't offer an opinion on the commissioner's plan to end the Special Review Assessment. Information on the percentage of students who graduate via the alternate route in Long Branch and Asbury Park - both Abbott districts - was not available from the state Department of Education.

"If that's what they do, we'll have to work with it," Ferraina said. "Our job is to teach children."

The Asbury Park school district's director of curriculum, Kathy McDavid, and Board of Education President Robert DiSanto declined to comment on Librera's proposal until they can get additional information.

Raymond Gonzalez, director of assessment, planning and evaluation in the Paterson public schools said that extra chances on the HSPT would help, but that the graduation rate at the school would likely fall if Librera's plan is put into place.

Librera's proposal requires approval of the state Board of Education. He said that if the board does not adopt it by early August, he would drop plans to make changes during the 2005-06 school year.

He said one change likely to be made is reworking the appeals process. Under his plan, students who fail the HSPA test could still get high school diplomas only if they attend school at least 90 percent of the time as juniors and seniors and if their grades are as good as those of students who pass the tests. That standard might be too high, Librera said.

Staff writers Kathy Matheson and Nancy Shields contributed to this story.

Juveniles charged in school violence
Prosecutor's Office investigates incidents at Matawan Avenue
BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer

Two students at the Matawan Avenue Middle School, Aberdeen, are feeling the wrath of their alleged violent behavior.

A 12-year-old boy who allegedly slammed another 12-year-old boy on his head has been charged with second-degree aggravated assault, and is currently on house arrest, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Barry Serebnick said.

Serebnick said that according to witnesses, the juvenile defendant allegedly picked up the victim and either dropped or threw him on his head during an incident that occurred at the Aberdeen school on May 6.

An ambulance was called to the scene and the victim was taken to the hospital. He has since been released and is continuing his education, Serebnick said.

The accused juvenile was arrested and later released to a guardian pending a court proceeding, which will probably happen within the next two weeks, Serebnick said.

Serebnick said that incidents like this, in which charges are filed, are not that common among school-age children.

Superintendent of Schools Bruce Quinn said that he is unable to comment on the situation now that the Prosecutor's Office is involved.

Quinn did say that he spent last weekend on the phone with the police and members of the district trying to get to the bottom of the situation.

In another incident that happened on the May 5, one boy was suspended from school for putting another student in a headlock.

Quinn said that a misunderstanding between the assistant principal of the school and the victim's parent led to the incident not being reported.

He said that the assistant principal alerted the parent to the situation and told her that she could sign a juvenile complaint against the accused if she wanted to. Quinn said the parent left the impression that she wouldn't sign a complaint, therefore, the assistant principal didn't report the incident to the district or to the police.

The parent ended up signing a complaint with the police department later that night.

"We don't sweep things under the rug," Quinn said.

He said that whenever you have middle school age groups, there are going to be incidents in which they behave in an inappropriate manner and don't make the best decisions.

"I don't believe that our middle school has any more incidents than any other middle school," Quinn said.

Quinn also said that there was no more violence this year than any other previous year.

He said that as soon as the district becomes aware of any situation, they do what they have to do to get to the bottom of it.

Police investigate two attacks at middle school
BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer

ABERDEEN - Two separate incidents at the Matawan Avenue Middle School last week left two 12-year-old boys injured.

The first incident occurred on Thursday, Deputy Chief John Powers said. The incident occurred during the day and was reported to police later that night by a parent of one of the kids involved, Powers said.

The parent indicated that her child had been choked by another 12-year-old boy, Powers said.

The parent also signed a juvenile complaint against the alleged attacker.

The next incident occurred on Friday and left one 12-year-old boy in the hospital.

Powers said that it appears that two 12-year-olds got into an altercation and one was pushed and hit his head. The incident occurred at 10:30 a.m., and police were called to the school at 10:42 a.m.

Police Officer Matthew McDow responded to the call. When he arrived, the victim was conscious, but in need of medical attention, Powers said. McDow requested an ambulance, and the student was taken by the Rural Metro ambulance service to Riverview Medical Center. He was later transferred to Jersey Shore Medical Center, Powers said.

As of Monday, the student's condition was said to be improving, according to Powers.

Powers said that the investigation of this incident is ongoing, and police are still trying to piece together information on the matter.

The Aberdeen Police Department is working with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office on the investigation. They are currently in the process of interviewing witnesses, Powers said.

Powers said that it is not common that incidents of violence like this are reported, but when you put 1,000 12- to 14-year-old kids in a building, there’s bound to be conflicts.

Aberdeen resident Joseph McAleer, who has a daughter in the middle school, said that he feels these incidents are extremely common, they just aren't being reported. McAleer said he doesn't understand why a parent had to report Thursday's incident to the police.

"Big incidents are being reported, little ones are getting swept under the rug," McAleer said.

McAleer said that he plans to bring up the subject at the next Board of Education meeting on May 23. He said he is going to demand answers from the board as to why children are getting assaulted at school and it's not being reported.

He said he feels the school district puts these incidents off as horseplay, but they are really assault.

"When somebody puts their hands on somebody else, that warrants assault," he said. "What's the difference between Thursday's incident and Friday's?"

It is not known if any of the parties involved were reprimanded by the school district.

Superintendent of Schools Bruce Quinn could not be reached for comment on either incident.

Anyone with information on either incident can contact the Aberdeen Detective Bureau at (732) 566-2054.

Student is disciplined for role in altercation

Sixth-grader hurt, winds up in hospital
Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/10/05
By JUSTIN VELLUCCI
KEYPORT BUREAU


ABERDEEN - A Matawan Avenue Middle School student has been disciplined for his role in an altercation Friday that sent a sixth-grader to the hospital, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Superintendent Bruce Quinn said.

Quinn would not discuss the method or severity of discipline or what led school officials to decide it was necessary. On Sunday, Quinn said the altercation appeared to be the result of horseplay between the two boys and not an incident of bullying.

There currently are no plans to discipline the 12-year-old student injured in the fight, Quinn said.

"I think he already suffered enough consequences," he said.

The injured boy - who was not identified by authorities - was recuperating from a concussion over the weekend and possibly set for release from Jersey Shore University Medical Center Monday, Quinn said.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said Sunday she would not provide information on the student without being given his name.

School administrators and police are continuing to investigate the incident. Quinn said the district hopes to release a statement to parents this week.

Justin Vellucci: (732) 888-2617 or jvellucci@app.com

POLICE BRIEFS
Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/9/05

Cops probe fight at middle school

ABERDEEN: School officials and police are continuing to investigate a Friday altercation between two Matawan Avenue Middle School students that left one sixth-grader in the hospital.

The injured 12-year-old boy, whom police did not identify, was treated for a concussion at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune over the weekend, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Superintendent Bruce Quinn said. A nursing supervisor could not release information on the youth without his name.

While authorities are still looking into how the boy was injured, Quinn said it appears it was the result of horseplay and not bullying.

He declined to comment on whether the district was considering disciplinary action but said any incident of bullying would be taken seriously.

Aberdeen Police Deputy Chief John T. Powers said Sunday that police also still are investigating the incident, which took place at the middle school around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Justin Vellucci

Union, district OK pact after 15 months

Teachers' pay to increase
Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/6/05
By JUSTIN VELLUCCI
KEYPORT BUREAU


ABERDEEN - Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District teachers will receive at least 4 percent in annual salary increases through June 2007 under a contract adopted after nearly 15 months of negotiations.

The new contract, which affects about 350 teachers and 20 bus drivers, will increase salaries 4 percent in 2004-05, 4.3 percent in 2005-06, and 4.6 percent in 2006-07, Business Administrator and Board Secretary Laura Venter said.

About 30 custodians represented by the Matawan Regional Teachers Association will see increases of $1,500 in 2004-05, $1,600 in 2005-06, and $1,700 in 2006-07, Venter said.

School and union representatives alike said Thursday they were pleased with the new agreement, which comes at the end of a year in which faculty members worked without a contract. The last agreement expired in June 2004.

"In the end, I think most people would have to agree it was a fair settlement," union president Carl Kosmyna said. "Hopefully, we'll have a year or two of labor peace before we have to go back to the table again."

The new contract will change union members' insurance carrier as of July 1 from Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Oxford Health Plans, a move Venter said will save the district about $600,000 a year.

The agreement phases out a "terminal leave" payment, which gave teachers with at least 10 years of district service an extra month of their salary when they retire, Venter said. The payment will drop to a half-month's salary as of July 1 and be eliminated on June 30, 2007.

The agreement does not increase extracurricular activities stipends in 2004-05 but does increase them 2 percent in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years, Venter said. The agreement also increases union members' tuition reimbursement from $1,000 to $1,250 a year.

Denise Shell, an Aberdeen resident who taught briefly at Matawan Avenue Middle School, said salary increases in the new agreement seemed similar to figures in Middletown and were appropriate given the demands of a teacher's job.

"Teachers need to be compensated just like everybody else," said Shell, 54, who's also taught in Keansburg and elsewhere. "If anybody thinks it's an easy job that's done at 3, they're very, very sadly mistaken.

"I don't know that I've ever taught with a nicer, better staff than I did at Matawan Avenue (Middle School) when I was there," she added. "They deserve something."

Matawan resident Tammy Proto has two sons at the middle school and agrees the staff is great. She's just concerned about the growing size of salaries compared to the number of hours spent teaching in the classroom.

In 2003-04 - the last year under the previous contract - teachers on the salary scale's first step earned $37,350, Venter said. By 2006-07, that figure will reach $41,450.

"They're excellent at what they do . . . but I think their salaries are a little bit over the top," said Proto, 42, who feels teachers also should contribute toward their health benefits.

"We all pay into our health benefits - I happen to be a registered nurse who works for a hospital, and I pay into my benefits," Proto said.

Justin Vellucci: (732) 888-2617 or jvellucci@app.com

DETAILS OF A DEAL
The new contract for the Matawan Regional Teachers Association:

Runs through the 2006-07 school year

Provides a 4 percent salary increase for 2004-05, 4.3 percent in 2005-06, and 4.6 percent in 2006-07

Changes teachers', bus drivers' and custodians' insurance carrier from Horizon BlueCross BlueShield to Oxford Health Plans

Phases out one-month "terminal leave'' payment for staffers retiring after at least 10 years of service

Offers no increase in extracurricular activity stipends for 2004-05, a 2 percent increase in 2005-06 and a 2 percent increase in 2006-07

Increases tuition reimbursement from $1,000 to $1,250 a year

Source: Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Business Administrator and Board Secretary Laura Venter

Students say release of teacher was a mistake
BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer

ABERDEEN - The Board of Education and students don't always see eye to eye.

The board's recent decision to part ways with Harry Peles, a high school physics teacher, has students questioning its actions.

Peles said he was informed about a week earlier that he was being fired, after two years of service, for not keeping up with the curriculum. He decided to tender his resignation instead, effective as of the end of the school year.

Superintendent of Schools Bruce Quinn said that Peles actually handed in a letter of resignation after discussions with the district on his contract. Quinn said it was a personnel issue, and he could not comment further due to the code of confidentiality.

Well over a dozen current and former high school students showed up at the board meeting on April 25 to voice their opinions on the termination, stating that the district will never find another teacher as good as Peles, and that the real problem will not leave with him.

Students, as well as Peles, claim that too many kids are being placed in honors physics, and they simply cannot keep up with the pace of the district's curriculum.

"This is not a teacher problem, but a student problem," senior James Huynh said.

Huynh said that he witnessed Peles teach firsthand when he took honors physics last year, and that he was able to observe things that administrators can't. He said that there are students on the honors level that shouldn't be there, and this forces Peles to teach at a slower pace.

"He doesn't want a struggling student to fail," Huynh said.

Peles approached the board, claiming he wasn't at the meeting to try and get his job back, but to make sure the superintendent and the board understand the real problem.

Peles handed all the board members a sheet of statistics, claiming that the district has 10 times more students in first-year honors physics than the national average.

Peles said that honors students are not being taught to their ability because they are being drowned out by students who can't keep up with the work.

"The ambition is there, but the ability isn't," he said.

"The problem is going to be here after I go, and it needs to be addressed," he said.

Peles said that last year, eight students qualified for honors physics, but he had 28 students in the class.

Quinn said the district is aware of the issue with the number of students, and is looking into it.

Huynh said that part of the problem is that the district puts time restraints on when students can transfer out of classes, and by the time students realize they can't keep up in the honors class, it is too late.

He also said that the district made an exception last year for an honors U.S. history class, allowing students to transfer out. "It worked. It worked perfectly," he said.

Peles said that construction on the building also played a factor in falling behind in the curriculum.

"The construction was definitely an impact," he said. "There were times I had classes in the auditorium."

The construction on the building is now complete, and the science department has brand-new state-of-the-art labs.

Peles' current and former students feel that he is a great teacher with an amazing understanding of the subject.

"I've never met another teacher that has such a grasp on the subject," said Alex Goldenthal, a senior who took honors physics last year.

Most of the students who showed up at the board meeting will not be directly affected by the termination, but wanted to voice their opinions anyway.

"To revoke his contract because he's not teaching at a quick enough pace, I feel is ridiculous," junior Steve Martinez said. "Mr. Peles has been the greatest thing that the physics or science program has ever seen."

"I feel I am better prepared for my college education because of Mr. Peles," he said.

Board President Cathy Zavorskas commended the students for showing up at the meeting, speaking their minds, and standing up for what they believe in.

"It's worth it coming, whether you like the outcome or not," she said.

Officials plan review of Mat-AB budget
BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer

ABERDEEN - Aberdeen and Matawan are preparing to set the new school tax rate after voters defeated the proposed $56.8 million budget.

The township and borough have both assigned one person each to look over the budget and meet with Superintendent of Schools Bruce Quinn.

Aberdeen has instructed Township Manager Mark Coren to meet with Quinn. Matawan has directed Borough Administrator Brian Valentino to review the budget and meet with Quinn.

Both sides have been in contact with the district, but no date has been set yet for a meeting with Quinn. It is unclear at this point if the meeting will include Coren and Valentino together, or if they will meet separately as in the past.

Valentino said he contacted Coren to try to set something up, but was told that Coren needs to get approval from the Township Council before taking any action.

Coren said Aberdeen is planning to follow a process similar to last year, in which the municipalities met separately.

Matawan Borough Councilman Paul Buccellato said he feels this "does a disservice to the regional school district, and to the most important residents of the district, the children. The two towns should meet jointly, because it is a regional school district and they have an obligation to the residents of both municipalities to meet."

Aberdeen Mayor David Sobel said that the process used in previous years proved effective, and has improved the township's relationship with the board.

Quinn said he has no preference, and he will "meet whichever way they can work it out."

"Hopefully we'll be able to sit and talk and come up with an agreement," he said.

The two municipalities have 30 days from the date of the defeat to review the budget and make recommendations. State law mandates the governing bodies of both municipalities set the new tax rate in the case of a defeated budget. They must agree on a number, and have adopted the same resolution by May 19, Valentino said.

If they cannot agree on a new budget, it will go to the state. The school district also has the opportunity to appeal if they do not agree with the new budget.

Both sides are anxious to work with the board and try to meet their needs.

"We are working on a process in which we can bring closure to the situation," Coren said.

"The educational needs and well-being of our schoolchildren is of critical importance to all of us," said Matawan Borough Councilman Paul Buccellato. "We know how hard it is to prepare and present a budget that meets the objectives of the Board of Education and is still fair to the taxpayers. I am sure that Mr. Valentino, Mr. Quinn and Mr. Coren will be able to work together to fulfill this important job the voters have entrusted to us. It is important that this not be a political but a managerial process."

Quinn said that he is hoping they can work something out that will enable the district to put up some additional lighting and security at the schools, after voters defeated the districts request for $450,000 for this purpose.

"Given our past history, I think we ought to do something with issue," Quinn said.

Once the new tax rate is recommended, the school district will go through the budget and make appropriate financial cuts to it.

Both sides are expecting a lot of action to take place this week on the matter. Valentino and Coren both said they are waiting for the district to contact them with a date, and when that happens, they are ready to go.

In other school district news, the board met April 25 to reorganize and prepare for the upcoming year.

Newly elected members Kenneth Aitken and Charles "Chuck" Kenny, as well as incumbent Jan Rubino, were sworn in to their seats. All three were elected to full three-year terms. They were administered the oath of office by Business Administrator Laura Venter.

In a 5-4 vote, board member Cathy Zavorskas retained her position as board president. Board members Lawrence O'Connell, Gerald Donaghue, Aitken and Kenny were the opposing voters. Donaghue was appointed vice president in an anonymous vote.

The board also appointed Kenney, Gross, Kovats, Campbell & Pruchnik, of Red Bank, as the board attorney, and Jersey Shore Bethany Pediatrics, Hazlet, as the school physical/health services director for the year.

Board meetings will remain on the third Monday of the month at 8 p.m. at the board offices located at One Crest Way in Aberdeen.