“There’s a cost for everything,” superintendent Patrick Spagnoletti stated when notifying the public at Tuesday night’s Board Of Education (BOE) meeting that RP-TV is scheduled to be removed from next year’s school district budget, “What we’re trying to do between now and the end of the year is find ways in which that program can run differently than it does right now but the fact of the matter is that we have not had money to upgrade the equipment. We do not have money, right now, to upgrade the equipment and, again, the cost of running that program is another position.”
The cost that Mr. Spagnoletti was referring to is the $48,803 budgeted to run RP-TV which is comparable to the $50,000 starting salary for a certified teacher in the district. Information obtained by Roselle Park News found that only $4,000 of that budget was for equipment repairs. A majority of the cost comes from stipends for three (3) positions paid to Roselle Park High School teachers Ellen Bachert and Nick Florio and a separate agreement with Nick Florio. A breakdown of program’s budget is listed below:
| CATEGORY | TOTALS | STIPENDS | EQUIPMENT | NICK FLORIO | ELLEN BACHERT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stipend for instruction in technology and equipment for RP-TV | $15,210 | $15,210 | $15,210 | ||
| Stipend for instruction in research, writing, and presentation for RP-TV | $10,800 | $10,800 | $10,800 |
||
| Stipend for CATV-34 Coordinator | $9,543 | $9,543 | $9,543 |
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| Stipend for tapings of school district events including BOE Meetings ($125/taping) | $7,250 | $7,250 | $7,250 | ||
| Equipment repairs | $4,000 | $4,000 | |||
| Instructional supplies | $2,000 | $2,000 | |||
$48,803 | $42,803 | $6,000 | $22,460 | $20,343 |
The $22,460 paid to Mr. Florio from the RP-TV budget was in addition to his salary of $106,475, for a total of $128,935. Ms. Bachert received $20,343 in addition to her salary of $75,603 – totaling $95,946 – in order to be both an instructor and RP-TV Coordinator. The stipends for instruction are mandated by contractual agreements between the BOE and the RPEA (Roselle Park Educators’ Association). The agreement between the Board and Mr. Florio for taping school district events, including BOE meetings which usually last about 30 minutes, is a separate contract. In comparison, the municipality currently pays a little over $16/hour to have two (2) employees tape Mayor & Council meetings while the taping of parades and other borough events are handled by the Roselle Park Historical Society.
“There is no reason why we can’t have volunteers run a particular program in our school with proper supervision,” Mr. Spagnoletti stated as to how the program might be saved, “Hard choices have to be made and the Board is very mindful of that but at the end of the day I think the Board used as their guiding light ‘We need to keep our staff intact’.”
“I’m a graduate of Roselle Park High School – class of 2005 – and RP-TV was a huge, huge, huge part of my life there,” Janelle LoBello stated during the public participation section of the meeting. Ms. LoBello, who majored in Broadcast Journalism at Hofstra University and is currently at Seton Hall University, recalled how RP-TV established the roots that cultivated her interest in broadcasting which have grown into the career she has now chosen to pursue. She suggested that perhaps, in an effort to cut costs, RP-TV could have a weekly broadcast instead of a daily one and Ms. LeBello even offered to help in any way she could to keep RP-TV on the air, “I would personally be willing to volunteer my time for the program if there is a way to figure that out.”
This was an offer the Superintendent took seriously and asked to have Ms. LeBello contact him for further information. Janelle was not the only one who expressed concern over the cut from the budget; other alumni also wrote in to comment on the importance of the program and their disappointment with its possible removal next year. A sampling of comments, which were brought to the meeting by former RPHS teacher and RP-TV instructor Joanne Accardi-Goldberger, came from people like Joanna Riley who mentioned that she felt like a part of her youth was ripped away from her while Tom LaVecchia commented that RP-TV played a significant role in him deciding on a career in television.
“I’m actually very hurt by this,” Donald Paolella, III wrote, “If it hadn’t been for RPTV, high school would have been a lot less enjoyable for me.”
Zachary Infante commented, “It’s such a shame that a program that has produced successful alumni is being ignored and pushed to the wayside.”
Karen Medina praised the program for helping her become a confident young lady in life. Cara DiGiovine marked her disappointment by stating, “That is ridiculous and a shame. And people wonder why RP youths are being bullied and get into trouble with drinking and drugs. With all the budget cuts there’s almost no outlets left for kids who aren’t sports-oriented.”
Another resident, Bob Nadasky, spoke to the BOE and mentioned how important RP-TV was to his grandson – who is in the program – and Roselle Park as a community. He stated, “The Board should try very hard and look for ways to get this program back into its existence so that the kids there are not going to be left out.”
Even citizen activist, Jacob Magiera, offered a suggestion to raise additional funds, “Perhaps we could have a ‘Roast Night’ for Coach [John] Wagner.”