The battle continues in the Perth Amboy public school system where school board members are trying to fire Superintendent Janine Caffrey. A state judge upheld the board’s decision to remove her today. But Caffrey told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that the major issues are before the New Jersey School Board Ethics Commission.
Caffrey said she wasn’t surprised by the judge’s ruling because she ruled on a minor point of law — whether or not the school board members had the right to take the vote they did on May 7.
The school board members “were waiting for the commissioner to make a decision on an earlier issue from April 25. And so as I’ve stated all along, it’s been my assertion that all of the events leading up to these votes were incredibly unethical,” Caffrey said. “And most of what you are seeing today really belongs in the New Jersey School Board Ethics Commission and that’s where most of it is sitting.”
Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf has 45 days to make a decision about the judge’s ruling. He can accept it as is, modify it or reject it. Caffrey said she has had no contact with Cerf or staff at the Department of Education regarding the ruling. She said she hopes Cerf takes action on her behalf, as he has in the past.
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Caffrey said much of the case sits with the ethics commission, which has a regularly scheduled meeting later this month. “You’re going to hear the rest of the story after the ethics commission weighs in,” she said.
According to Caffrey, the ethics commission has multiple counts against five school board members brought by the superintendent and another member of the administration. “They talk about how they interfere with hiring and try to interfere with general personnel issues,” she said.
Caffrey said she works with the school board members on a daily basis. “We opened the school year in a very positive way. We had an incredibly smooth opening. We have increased the rigor in our classrooms including physics for all ninth-graders and we’re making decisions on a daily basis,” she said. “I believe the school board at this moment in time has a real decision to make. Do they want to stand with me, stand all together and move toward educational progress, or do they want to get caught up in bitter politicking?”
The superintendent said she is trying to make members of the school board understand why she makes the decision she makes. She said the dispute is all about who controls hiring, where people are transferred and firing.
According to Caffrey, there have been many positive changes in Perth Amboy, including a decrease in suspensions from the high school from 39 percent to 3.4 percent and a decrease in disruptive behavior by 40 percent.
When asked if she is optimistic that the dispute will end soon and in her favor, Caffrey said, “I’m optimistic that we’re going to keep moving forward in Perth Amboy. We already have. Our test scores are just in and we are seeing some really nice gains in particular with our special education students. We’re on the right track and I’m confident we’ll continue in that direction.”
Related: Perth Amboy Superintendent Vows to Stay Despite Board Opposition