The Roselle Park Board Of Education (BOE) formally authorized School Superintendent Pedro Garrido at the July 26th BOE meeting to offer contracts in the absence of board meetings during the months of July and August to candidates in order to fill vacant positions.
Previously, up until 2012, a resolution would be passed by the Board in June every year which authorized the school superintendent to offer contracts in the absence of board meetings. That agenda item was absent from meetings since 2013 until it was placed back into the agenda this year.
The matter of having the superintendent offer contracts was brought up by some residents who inquired about the appointing of the Roselle Park High School Vice Principal of Athletics which took effect on July 9th, which was after the June 28th meeting but before the July 28th meeting. The BOE retroactively authorized Mr. Garrido to offer contracts at that July meeting with agenda item 25.
Section 2.B.d of the School Superintendent’s contract reads that the Superintendent shall:
recommend the selection, placement, appointment, reappointment, non-renewal, and transfer of personnel, subject to the approval of the Board in accordance with the responsibilities as outlined above, and subject to applicable Board policies and directives.
Neither the oversight by the BOE nor the criticism from residents addressed whether the School Superintendent could appoint someone in a temporary or acting capacity for a position until the Board formally approves the position at a subsequent meeting.