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Schools

Middletown superintendent exits with pre-budget changes on administrative agenda

Three Board of Education members vote against the move, but do not prevail

It was Middletown Schools Superintendent Karen Bilbao’s last Board of Education meeting recently when the outgoing superintendent proposed some sweeping pre-budget staffing alterations. The timing was not right for some board members and the motive for the sudden changes, which excluded elementary schools, were questioned.

“I find it ironic,” said Minnuies, “that now that you’re leaving, we can suddenly do without.” She expressed concern that out of the board’s central office “leaves the district empty at the top.” That, she said, coupled with the pre-budget time prospect of an interim superintendent coming on board puts the district at a distinct disadvantage at a very tenuous time in the school year.  “I feel this is not in the best interests of the whole district,” she said.

Minnues has been very vocal in her concerns that Bilbao’s retirement and decision to leave the district two months premature of the contractually obligated four months’ notice. She has said that early departure leaves the district without someone familiar with its particular looming budget challenges for this year.

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Bilbao was in the Middletown district for several years, spending the past five as interim superintendent (2006 to 2008) and then superintendent (2008 to 2011). She retired Jan. 31, two months shy of her contractually mandated 120 days’ notice, at a salary of roughly $190,000.

The board approved hiring, as interim superintendent through June 30, Thomas Pagano, retired superintendent of Ocean Township Schools, at a salary of $165,000 without benefits and no cash out option for unused sick days. He will not be eligible for vacation or personal days, either. In accordance with state law, Pagano, as a retired schools administrator collecting a pension, is permitted to work in another district in the same capacity for as long as 24 months.

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Bilbao’s changes, and last administrative action as superintendent, involve the elimination of one administrative position, enhancement of two others and filling an administrative spot that is currently vacant.

Under its terms, was sanctioned to leave the board’s central office to become the new permanent principal at Thompson Middle School.

Jennifer Martins and Evelyn Mamman, who have been coaching teachers in the instruction of math and literacy, respectively, will continue in those roles with added supervisory responsibilities. Meanwhile, the district is interviewing applicants for the job of assistant principal for guidance at High School South.

The changes arose from the district’s inability to find a timely replacement for Patrick C. Houston, a 36-year veteran of the district who retired at a salary of roughly $149,000 as principal of Thompson in December. When her “candidate of choice” withdrew his application, Superintendent Karen Bilbao asked Facendo to serve out the school year as interim principal. Facendo accepted and, within days, expressed her desire to take the job permanently.

With opposition to Bilbao’s proposal for Facendo largely focused on the issue of procedure and timing, a few board members and residents complained that making Facendo’s interim appointment permanent would circumvent the standard board-approved selection process. None questioned her qualifications for the position, but most suggested she should have to compete with other candidates at the end of the term.

In the course of trying to cover Facendo’s former duties as district director of curriculum for Humanities, Bilbao devised what she referred to as a cost-effective staff rearrangement.

Board member Joan Minnuies also complained that the rearrangement does nothing to address the needs of the elementary schools. She also questioned the timing of the shake-up — within days of Bilbao’s retirement. Last year, Minnuies wanted the district to “cut another central office position,” which Bilbao successfully opposed.

Board member Christopher Aveta echoed Minnuies’ concerns about what he, too, saw as a narrow focus of changes. “If we had (included) principals from elementary (schools in on this plan), I’m sure they’d have a wish-list, too,” said Aveta. He recommended holding off on making Facendo’s appointment permanent through the end of the school year.

Nonetheless, the measure was supported by six of the board’s nine members and passed at the Jan. 26 meeting. Minnuies, Aveta and Michael Mascone remained unpersuaded by the long-term effectiveness of Bilbao’s plan. They voted against the creation of the new supervisory positions and against the reassignment of Facendo to Thompson, because they felt the plan not only defied standard protocol, but would also be a counterproductive move in pre-budget time.

“I saw this as an opportunity,” said Bilbao, “to correct the situation we’ve been grappling with” — what Bilboa called an inordinate shortage in supervisory staffing forced upon the district by last year’s budget cuts.

“We went through a terrible crisis, and lost 126 (staff members) last year (including six administrators),” Bilboa said. Facendo’s prime responsibility in the district was to ensure that the humanities curriculum was effectively taught in Middletown’s 17 schools. She was also supervising the Humanities Department at High School South.

Facendo’s former title will be officially eliminated. The district-wide responsibilities she had as director of curriculum for Humanities will be assumed and split between James Stefankiewicz, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, and Diana Cantillo, who is district director of Secondary Initiatives. Stefankiewicz’s annual base salary, as listed in the budget, is $155,000. Cantillo’s is $144,518.

Facendo’s math curriculum counterpart, Marjorie Caruso, will continue to do as Facendo did with Humanities and direct the math curriculum implementation for the entire district while also running the Math Department at High School North. Caruso’s annual base salary, as listed in the board budget, is $143,505.

In light of the changes, the math and literacy coaches, Martins and Mamman, will now have the authority to supervise teaching in their respective high schools as well.

Bilbao pointed out that she felt by not hiring a replacement for Facendo in the central office, the district should now be able to afford a new assistant principal for Guidance at High School South. Bob Busler, who was in that position, retired last June at an annual salary of $123,944 after 31 years.

For the past year, Jack Carmody has been serving in that role for both high schools, which he said shortchanged South students. “I have not been at South as much as I would have liked,” he said. “I simply can’t be in two places at the same time.”

A new hire, Bilao said, would, as a matter of procedure, make significantly less than someone who had the 31-year seniority. The possibility of transferring and existing district staff member was not discussed.

“I think it’s very important to point out that we are not adding back any of the cut positions,” Bilboa said. “We are maintaining the same number.”   



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