It may be too early for some, to me it is refreshing to have an elect hit the ground running with his campaign promises.I think Parsippany residents have been lulled to many times by cheap talk. Actions speak louder than words.
Thank you Mr.Cariffi

THAT is his first proposal as a new board member? Kick 11 kids out of school?

Who benefits from that?

Scott, stop sucking up to James Carifi. The only thing he is for is himself and nobody else. That is why he thinks he doesn't have to submit a background check for baseball / softball and his wife had to do it, because he thinks he is above everybody else (goes to show you of what he cares about ) . I am sick and tired of seeing him in the paper outside the police department blotter, and him being referred to as New School Board member and a Captain of the police department. His police position should not have any bearing on different titles ( i.e school board or James Carifi a Captain with Parsippany police up at bat with his soft ball team ) . Who gives a dame what his title is. ( sorry you and other suck ups think he is the best but news flash, he is not ). As for him trying to set up a weekend leadership academy. Its a school board supposably looking out for the kids. Hell with a weekend academy, this is his own idea and he wants it to be known that it is his idea alone. Again, he is all for himself. Here is a novel idea Mr. Carifi, why don't you just be a police captain instead of trying to be things you area not (like interested in things other than yourself ) .

Regarding the 55 kids without verification if the 11 are granfathered so be it

"I was disappointed in the swearing-in," he said. "They had both of us up there at the same time'

Oh really? Gee, they did that to you? You poor fellow. Get over your ego, will you? I'd immediately say the oft-mentioned "its all about the kids" (insert finger into mouth to induce vomiting) but the next item quashes that. Kick 11 kids out in mid-year? Then that ridiculous idea gets followed by an attempt to implement a group to teach our kids to spy and inform. Just when I thought I've seen it all.....

With all the dysfunction and hysterics around the PTH BOE, the best idea the 'new guy' can come up with is to immediately toss 11 kids out of school?

What a joke. The board has been - and apparently, shall continue to be - a laughingstock.

Spending an hour debating whether to table discussing meeting minutes? How about taking 5 of those minutes to actually read them and save the arguing? Did that occur to anyone?

And these are the folks we trust with our childrens' education? The inmates are officially running the asylum.

The Board has a bunch of egomaniacs that are there for the wrong reasons. It certainly isn't for the kids. That is obvious. The district is on the downswing parents...hold these people accountable now. Why does the cop want to be on the board? Everyone has agendas but his is worrisome.

That meeting was insane. I have never seen anything like that. As far as the law goes I think we're missing something. I means it's only eleven kids now but how many kids were there at one point or another? Also I'm confused about something I thought that a kid can go to a school district outside his town but His home District was reponsible for paying Parsippany the amount it costs to educate each student. What I'm saying is if I'm suppose to be going to Rockaway and instead going to Parsippany and it costs the taxpayers 15000 per student to educate, Rockaway BOE is responsible for paying the 15000 that I use to go to school here. I just don't undestand why a practice like this would ever be approved in the first place.

So, everyone is OK with covering the costs of students from other towns with our tax dollars? What's next, the garbage men who work for Parsippany but living elsewhere putting their trash on our curbs? Where does it stop? Address it all, fry the big fish first, there are always some who are resistant to change. If we keep doing things the same way the results will never change.

Disgraceful. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. Mr. “Captain” Carifi I was one of the 8200 votes you received in November. I voted for you because after all the “Meet the Candidate” forums I attended I felt you were fresh, energetic, and informed. As a parent of two children in the Parsippany school system I felt they were in good hands. But last night one of your first acts as a new Board member was to make a motion to toss out 11 students of teachers grandfathered in under the old policy. Even after the Board attorney painfully explained the consequences of your motion multiple times you stick with your motion. Sadly enough it was seconded by Mr. Martin. For the second time in 3 years I wish I could take my vote back.
Mr. Carifi you said you were speaking for the tax payers of Parsippany. You were not speaking for this tax payer. I am asking you to check your ego at the door and move the ball forward for the children of Parsippany. Fight for the right things…push for a fair teacher’s contract now…be fiscally responsible …make the Parsippany School system a model for success and not greed and hubris.

Madam President it is painfully obvious what has happened here and the big egos are on full display. I am asking you as a tax payer to do what IS NECESSARY to keep the children and our schools in the forefront of these meetings.

Tim Berrios

Dear Captain/Board Member Carifi,
I was one of the 8,251 who voted for you and that you mentioned last night. Is it too late to change my vote? In my 40 plus years of attending board meetings I have never seen such hubris nor lack of understanding of what a school board member is elected to do. I suggest that the teachers of those 11 children who still attend our school district bring their children to the next board meeting so Mr. Carifi can look those very children in the eye and and say "bye bye. I don't want you." I am very aware of the division on the school board but one thing I always knew was that every single board member really did have the best interest of the children as their number one priority. I can't say that anymore. Shameful, shameful behavior from Mr. Carifi.

While I also disagree with Mr. Carifi suggesting to remove 11 kids from the school district before the school year has concluded, i do agree with his motion to make them pay to come here. If it's easier on their parents to bring their kids to work with them, which i feel is completely inappropriate anyway, they should pay for it. Why should we pay for their kids to use our already overpopulated schools? Thats ABSURD! if they arent willing to cover the cost, they should be removed from our district in the next school year, 100%. I could not agree more.
As far as the other 45-55 students who can't even prove they belong here they should be forced to show proof they are eligible to be here and if they can't they should have to transfer to where they belong. It's not the children, its the irresponsibility of their parents they should be the ones responsible...it's their fault if their kids have to switch schools. They don't pay the taxes for it, so they shouldnt be coming here. It's that simple. I'm sure all of you complain about tax hikes anyway everytime the gov raises them. All of a sudden this is okay just because you dont like James carifi? Hypocrits.
and Tim---Carifi stated multiple times in his campaign that one of his main priorities was to stop letting these students into our schools that don't even belong in our district. So that's your fault for not reading up on what you were voting on, so shame on you for being irresponsible and then complaining about it.

"Ange"
The 45-55 students did in fact prove that they lived in Parsippany. If they were unable to prove that they didn't live in Parsippany, the district would not let them attend school in Parsippany. This was stated at the meeting. Also, the policy of allowing out of town teachers to bring their children to the school district was eliminated several years ago. These 11 children were grandfathered in and soon there will be none. It is a non issue.

"No pupil shall be removed from school unless the parent, guardian, adult pupil or resident keeping an “affidavit pupil” (as defined in N.J.A.C. 6A:22-1.2) as the case may be, has been informed of his or her entitlement to a hearing before the Board of Education."

"Notices of ineligibility shall include:
A clear statement that the pupil is entitled to attend school for the twenty-
one day period during which an appeal can be made to the Commissioner,
but that, if missing information is not provided or an appeal is not filed, the pupil will not be permitted to attend school beyond the 21st day
following the date of the notice;"

"Where enrollment is denied and an intent to appeal is indicated, or where enrollment is provisional subject to further review or information, enrollment or attendance at school shall not be conditioned on advance payment of tuition in
whole or part."

From the BOE's own policy:
http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/pdf/policies/Parsippany%20Troy%20Hills%205000%20042310.pdf

http://www.pthsd.k12.nj.us/pdf/policies/Parsippany%20Troy-Hills%20R5000%20042310.pdf

Seems Mr. Carifi has some more homework to do. This rule about faculty member's children dates to 2010, so what are we talking about here? Third graders? High schoolers? Is it really going to cost us that much to let them finish the school year, especially since the money has already been budgeted?

oh really, because carifi clearly stated the proper documentation was not provided. And it was then stated, by the President no less, that the issue would be looked into as a "Critical issue". nothing in this article states that they provided the propr documentation to show their proof. It just says it will be looked into and researched.
As for the 11---They were grandfathered into it and noone ever made it an issue until now. So it's been brought to the table, and it should be dealt with appropriately just like everything else...or they should not be in our schools effective sept. 2013. There is no reason for it at all other than ease for thier parents. Wouldn't it be nice if all parents who actually struggle everyday w/childcare or getting their kids to school and home between 2 or 3 jobs could bring their kids to work with them and make their lives easier. This $15000 per student in our taxes yet as soooon as our pathetic president adds a tax hike to something you all cry about it. Does this make sense? no.
I dont understand why you carifi voters are so surprised that he's doing this. If you followed his campaign, as i mentioned before, this was always his goal. Are you surprised because for ONCE an elected official, town or BOE, is ACTUALLY doing what they said they would? I know this unheard of in our town lately, but this how it should be. Make a promise, keep the promise once you're voted in. So if u voted for him u shouldnt complaining.

No "Ange", Carifi said he had specific evidence that children other than the 11 attended the school district and did not live in Parsippany and he had hard evidence to prove it. On more than one occasion last night he promised to share the evidence but he never did. "Ange," did you know that there are 13 students that live in Parsippany but attend other school districts because their parents teach outside of Parsippany? By your reasoning and Mr. Carifi's, I suppose we should pull those 13 students back, leaving our district with a net plus 2. To hell with disrupting each of these children's school year.

Joan.. obviously the other schools don't care and that's their problem not mine. And shouldn't be yours either. So I wouldn't go there. And I'm pretty sure the issue was tabled last night from further discussion because the president wanted to research the issue. And if you would read my comments more carefully before throwing you two sense into what I say, you would have read that I DO NOT agree with pulling them in the middle of the year and I clearly said that effective SEPT 2013 they should not be in our schools. So please read more carefully before you speak the wrong thing.

"Ange," I don't know if you have children, but consider the impact on these 11 kids. Their parents brought them into this district when policy still allowed it to happen. You're quite wrong that "no one ever made it an issue until now." It was a big issue some years ago when the BOE voted to no longer allow teacher-parents to do this, but in the interests of not disrupting the education of these 11 kids allow them to finish up their schooling.
If a child is in the 1st or 2nd grade it's probably not a big deal to switch to a new school with new curriculums and teachers, etc, but if the student is in middle or high school, then it's a pretty big deal and will a pretty big impact - and for no other reason than a parent-teacher doing what he/she was legally entitled to do at the time.
And as Joan just mentioned, there are Parsippany students in other districts.
And, by the way, just because you can't think of any other reasons, doesn't mean that "ease for their parents" was the only reason these teachers moved students to their districts. There are many other possibilities.

This is disgusting if this is the platform that Carifi is running on. Kick kids out mid-term from school. Seriously. Remember "Captain" -- you are there for the children.

I’d say that the word structure is a sub for pomp and circumstance. I hope our new BOE member will quickly realize that the job is not about him, or having power, or about a big show for family or the audience but rather about serving children & our community by focusing on education. What happened to being honored to serve or to doing what’s best for children? How is it that Mr Carifi was completely unprepared to vote on some matter of fact business but could be so prepared to launch an assault on 11 innocent children by calling for an immediate vote without even a single shred of paper to support his position or a moment to think? For what purpose; to make HIS campaign promises whole? I can't even imagine the type of person that would be willing to ban a 5th grader, or a senior from completing the school year without any evidence that it would even save the taxpayer a penny. I can't even imagine the type of person who would intentionally have a negative impact on a child without taking time to even think about his actions. I can’t imagine the type of person who thinks reporting children & families that have fallen on hard times & had to move their children in with relatives to the housing depart. is what our schools should be doing. I'm physically shaking and ill over the thought that this type of person will now make decisions about my children, our children. God help all our children when this type thinks its ok for a campaign promise to trump a child’s well being

How did the captain win on that Platform? No one comes to those meetings or reads the minutes. It is like an election in school-a popularity contest!

I wasn't up there by my self I in the spot light by myself ) , Oh yeah I mean my family wasn't up there with me. Very disorganized. No structure " I am a person who needs structure". NO YOU are a person who needs to be the bully in the room:) BOO HOO Mr. Carifi I mean Parsippany Police CAPTAIN CRY BABY.

"Trolls" I didn't mean to touch a nerve. Adults-there were none on the board last night I understand.

I'd like to point out that removing these 11 kids from the district isn't going to show an actual gain in the school budget. The 15k per kid # is bogus. We don't actually pay a set amount per kid. The costs to run the district are not done per student. Having 11 extra kids across 14 school buildings is not ACTUALLY costing us taxpayers a penny more.

I was horrified by last night's board meeting. To think that Mr. Carifi is now in a position to make decisions that affect our students is frightening. Last night he demonstrated gnorance and arrogance. He wast happy with the swearing in???? He wanted to be sworn in by himself with his family by his side???? Come on!! He needs to get over himself. As far as the students of teachers in the district who were GRANDFATHERED in, say let them be. I am a taxpayer and I don't have a problem with letting them finish their education. If Parsippany truly is the place to be let compassion be one of our traits. I am sick of hearing how many votes he got. I daresay that had his name been further down on the ballot that would not have been the case. It's interesting to read that people who did vote for him are wishing they hadn't. So my advice to our newest board member is leave your ego at the door and think about developing people skills.

Remember there is no i's in team but two in Carifi. You were told many times not to vote for him. He is not a team player as you can see that in his statement that he should have been sworn in alone with his family. Stop crying. I wonder if James has a problem with his patrolmen not living in town? So I guess we will have to put up with Jim for a few years.

Maybe James didn't go about it the right way but he is right. Fact of the matter is those kids have no business being in the school system. Should we hire a kid's mother as a teacher at a school because her child goes to that school and it would give him a ride? I work in the city maybe my children should go to school in the city because I work there. No because I am paying Parsippany my property taxes and Parsippany is where WE live. I take exception that this was allowed in the first place. Kids should go to the school district where they live NOT where their parents work. Whether it be 1 student or 50 students it's not fair. As for the lady who said I'm a taxpayer and I don't mind. Well I'm also a taxpayer and I do mind.

Wow, I don't know where to start.....with the horrible feeling I had when I read this or the utter distaste I felt for Mr. Carifi due to his lack of humility: he shouldn't have to stand next to Dr. Calabria, not getting his "own" time to shine? Side note, he should take a lot of lessons from Dr. Calabria on consensus building and managing tenuous working relationships.

This Board better get down to the real work of the district: reducing class sizes, improving NJASK & SAT scores through improved curriculums (hint: get rid of Go Math in elementary schools & work on comprehension!), and bringing back services that were cut 2+ years ago.

I expect more educated & informed ideas from those "running" our school board.

It's a shame that a recall vote of Mr Carifi can't be initiated until November 15th, 2013. I've already marked my calendar; I don't think there is a more valid reason to recall a BOE member then when one starts his term with the intention of deliberately harming specific children. If you want to make a change that impacts children after thoughtful consideration I believe most could respect that but if you demand immediate action without basis, fact or expert opinion, that you know will negatively impact children then you should not be on the BOE. I sincerely hope that the other members of the BOE will always do what's best for children and will protect them from Mr Carifi's efforts in the meanwhile.

Keep all this in mind when his brother runs for mayor!!!!!! Then we will maybe have four i's in carifi.

'Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.' How does Mr. Carifi know for a fact that there are children in our township schools that don't live here? I am talking about the 45 to 55 pupils he refered to. If he was only sworn into the position last night and wasn't even ready for that meeting, where did he get his so called facts from? It worries me. Did the Police Captain look through confindential records. Please let me know how he got this information. I'm just very curious and a bit worried. Big Brother is always watching.

Carol negatively impacting children? There's NO reason why those kids can't go to the schools they belong too. Also for all you know one of those kids might be a bully or something or getting bullied. I agree that Mr. Carifi didn't go about it the right way but he has a right to his opinion like we do. Also to Nancy I find it hard to believe that every single student that ever went through ANY school district belonged there. I'm sorry to say while you guys insult Mr. Cariffi he is fighting for what he believes in. The free ride at the expense of others should be over and we should STOP looking the other way. We need to start looking at reality and not what we want to see. Let those kids who are children of staff finish out the year and then get them out of the district. As far as grandfathering in what a joke. So are bullies who bullied kids before the HIB law excused from the rule because they were being bullies before it went into effect. Should I be excused from the texting and driving law because it wasn't a law when I got my license? Should I wear my seatbelt? Like I said. Let those kids finish out the year and then start enforcing the rule.

I was not at the meeting, I cant say I agree on tossing kids out of school either.
I will say that people seem to read into things and take the worse possible scenario because it is easier then to see the good of it.
The fact that Mr.Carifi is showing no bias regarding this subject regarding the 11 or the 55 shows me that he believes this to be a burden to the taxpayers.
He is not trying to hurt kids, he is trying to hold the adults accountable!!
Something that has not been done on the board in recent future.
"Whats good for the goose " well you know the rest...

One more thought

When the overcrouding of schools story comes up again and the sour patching begins this will give you 66 reasons not to complain..just sayin

Keep the kids in school as long as the teachers are employeed. This is a slap in the face to the teachers union who correct me if I am wrong, are still working without a contract. The teachers at the time were allowed to enroll their children in the distrct as part of a contract agreement and should be entitled to keep them in the district. As stated by other people, plain and simple, if these 11 kids were kicked out of school, the district will not save any money and no money will be going back into the pockets of the tax payers from this action. I am sure that as a union employee, Mr. Carifi would not appreciate and would defend any and all entitlements that may have been granted to him under a contract. I don't know why he would want to attack the teachers who are the backbone of our education system. The teachers deserve better than this and the time and energy should be used at settling the contract rather than kicking 11 kids out school.

You have to love it . I ask all of the people who are complaing about Mr. Carifi. Don't you realize that these students who don't belong here have been costing the taxpayers of our town millions of dollars over the years. Dollars that could have been spent on our kids, the kids who should be here. So don't complain about your taxes constantly going up anymore if your in favor of allowing students to have a free ride on you and me. I'm all in favor of giving our kids the best education possible, OUR KIDS. Use our money for our kids. I think that is the point Mr. Carifi is trying to get across here

Let's not forget Mr. Martin who blindly seconded this absurd motion. It's like that old cartoon with the mutt and the chihuahua..."hey spike, look at me, spike"!!!

Well Carol I understand why Mr. Carifi would want to take action IMMEDIATELY because those kids never had any reason being in the school district. Also I couldn't care less if the teachers are working without a contract. There's no reason that their kids shouldn't be going to school where they belong. Why should I have to pay money for to educate somebody who doesn't even live in Parsippany?

It's called accountability. Just like who was responsible for allowing someone who wasn't qualified to be a coach, coach the football team at Parsippany High School. Looks like Mr. Carifi is trying to hold people accountable and is looking out for all of the taxpayers in Parsippany as well as the students. In previous years many people have complained about cutting transportation for some of our students or cutting some after school programs, well I ask you this if these students who shouldn't have been here all these years and have cost the town millions of dollars over the years weren't here, that money could have been used to save the things that had to be cut.

Thank you Gerry I couldn't say so better myself.

There sounds to be a lot of, why did I vot for this guy? It is a valid question. I think most of you that voted must have know what an ego this guy has. He is known to be a show-off. Not good for the kids of Parsippany!

Friend of Parsippany, sounds like you don't live in Parsippany. Maybe one of your kids is getting a free ride.

There are a few concepts in play here that bear relevance regardless of how you feel about this policy. Even if you are steadfastly against allowing out-of-district students to attend school in town, please consider the following.

Proportionality. Is it suitable to immediately expel these children from the district even though they have done nothing wrong and didn't have anything to do with the adoption of this policy? Is the nominal gain to be realized - i.e., 11 fewer children in district - outweighed by the detriment to these children?

Due Process. Expulsion requires a substantial amount of due process. Students subject to expulsion have demonstrated substantial deviations from acceptable behavior. Do we not accord the innocent, out-of-district students some level of due process? Or do we just evict them from their classrooms - and from longstanding social relationships with classmates?

Blame and Consequence. Are these 11 children to blame? If not, and thus far no one has suggested they are blameworthy, why would we bring upon them such a harsh consequence?

The BOE has extensive policies and regulations in place that address students, teachers, support staff, etc. They address at length how the BOE should address various issues.

When public officials take unilateral actions without according due process, lawsuits wind up being filed. And then the public is up in arms about the cost of lawsuits.

The ends do not justify the means here.

"Angry Mobs after 11children" Capt. Frankenstein, just like the angry people who sat in 2 1/2 hour gas lines in Super Storm Sandy! Only it was ok to flash a badge & cut the line to fill up your friends Bentleys then? Anyway you slice it it's Not us tax payers you care about.... It's just more power for you!

Where does this police officer get all this cash?

What you people seem to forget, this is not just about 11 students that are kids of teachers, how about all of the other students that don't really live in town that are in our schools. If a teacher/coach got in who wasn't qualified how easy is it for a student. I agree with Mr. Carifi, spend our taxpayer money on our kids and use that money to continue to improve upon the things we can offer our students. I believe Mr. Carifi is for the kids the kids of Parsippany. Next time we hear we need to cut something from the budget, think about it, if we weren't paying for kids that don't live in Parsippany , those things probably wouldn't have to be cut.

Okay, it is an issue but it isn't #1 and your buddy has gotten off to a poor sport. Nothing worse than a cop with a big head! Does the chief spport this?

I meant, "start."

We are talking about 11 kids here right. 11 kids here. I wasn't at the meeting but did Mr. Carifi provide the breakdown of the grades these 11 kids are in. It wouldn't seem right to kick a senior of school that he/she been in for 4 1/2 years in this article/comments it that the 11 were "grandfathered" and this practice has been stopped so in the next few years these 11 would have graduated.
If the goal is to ensure that Parsippany school only allow Parsippany residents, I'm sure a better way of handling the 11 students can be thought of rather than ripping a child out of school mid year and negatively impact his studies, friendships and sports. This just seems so heartless to the 11 students and their parents/our teachers.
If I was a Parsippany teacher and I was told it was ok for my child to attend a Parsippany school without any additional cost. I would be upset at what happened at this meeting and it would break my heart to my kid that he's being kicked out of school because NOW the BOE is saying it's not ok now.

I'm sure there are more important issues in our schools than planning to kick out 11 students of our teachers. Way to go Par-Troy BOE! Way to go!

Maybe Kicking the kids out right now is a bit harsh but they've never should have been allowed in to begin with. Let them finish out the year and then let them leave. Kids move all the time. I think grandfathering in for anything is a bit ridiculous. Should I be excused from the texting and driving law because I got my license before the law went into effect? No. I think heartless is telling taxpayers that Teachers kids are BETTER then OUR kids. If even of those kids has a HISTORY of Being a bully or bullied by OTHERS then they should go immediately. It's not fair to that child of the teacher to be bullied when he doesn't belong at that school just like it wouldn't be fair if that was doing the bullying to other students when he doesn't even belong there. If even of those KIDS has a history being bullied or being the bully then they need to go. We can't have that.

People seem to be missing the issue here, it's not just that 11 students of the teachers, its all of the other kids as well. Everyone in town knows there are kids in our schools that don't live in Parsippany in addition to those kids of teachers. Everone that refers to the 11 kids, are you suggesting they get special treatment because they are teachers or employees kids. It's about all of the kids that don't belong here that you and I have been paying for for years.

Kevin I don't care about the amount of money we saved or don't save. It's about right and wrong. I admit it's not okay to remove kids in the middle of the year. At that same time if even one of those kids is a bully I don't think it's fair to say to a parent that their child is being bullied by a kid who doesn't belong going to school there and the reason he's allowed to do all that is because he's part of a Grandfathering cause. Like I said if ANY of those kids bullied even one KID then we're turning our backs on that one kid.

This issue of allowing employee's children access to the education in this town has been stopped a few years ago. We are allowing 11 children to complete the education that they were allowed to start in the first place here. It cost us no more money to do this. There was no tax burden on the residents because there were no additional classes needed and the books are available. It was settled years ago. This BOE needs to move on to more important issues. Let's leave the children alone. It's getting harder to be a child in this generation. Maybe the adults should grow up and start trying to help make this a safe and better world for kids to live in. We have so many more people looking to harm children these days and it is making me sick.

Sick of the trolls..no offense but do u have nothing better to do then Google people who comment on here ? Stalkers like u r the reason ppl don't put full names, like urself. So stop hiding if ur gonna be a bully.I've lost track of whose side u r on anyway haha. Ur just a very rude obnoxious person

It's quite alarming that this issue could have come to vote at the meeting and kids kicked out of school that they have been attending for years without any real discussion and analysis of the facts. Thanks for Golderer wanting the matter to go to the policy committee. There's always talk about what the cost is to something. I'm not saying cost is not important as I am parsippany tax payer and I have kids that have graduated and currently attend a parsippany school..but I also want the Board to do the right thing. Let's get all the facts about this issue an come up with a solution that right and fair.

If Board member Carifi campaigned on this issue he should be able to come up with something that right and fair beside a motion kicked out of town kids out of school the next morning because it was a campaign promise. Applaud him holding up his promise but let's be civil at the same time.

There used to be a policy that allowed the children of teachers to attend the Parsippany school district. Several years ago the board changed the policy and ended this practice but allowed the children who were still enrolled to continue. There are 11 students left. The board should live up to their end of the bargain and let it be. In a few years these children will graduate and we will be done with it. There is some confusion with regards to the 45-55 other students. People assume that these children do not live in the district. This is not true. The administration stated the other night that these 45-55 students were verified and live in Parsippany. Whether they live with their parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts does not matter. The law is very clear. If the child lives in Parsippany, we must educate them. End of story. Now, few people see the irony in Capt. Carifi's teacher's contract quip. Here is a man who is paid by the taxpayers of Parsippany and earns much more than any teacher...actually he makes more than Dr. Seitz does. At least Dr. Seitz pays his own dry cleaning and gas bill. The taxpayers pay for Capt. Carifi's.

Thank you Mr.Saunders, let us get past the first 48 hours.Cost is an issue and I think that will be shown soon enough.Hard nosed may not make the people happy but if it produces results than Im for it.

Joan Callamezzo, obviously you are not a very educated person who doesn't have a clue and likes to tell lies. You should really excuse youself from this discussion if you're going to continue to state things about people that are not true. Put your money where your mouth is and prove that any employee makes what Dr. Seitz does. Were you a supporter of Mrs. Orme or Orthweine who supported giving Dr. Seitz that unbelievable raise.

Here's one for all of the people that want the fields to be turfed. The BOE may have had the money to budget for upgrades over the years, with all the money that would have been saved had we the taxpayers not been paying for all of the students that are not truly residents of Parsippany over all these years .

Joe Simpson, according to the 2012 budget posted on the township website, Capt. Carifi earns $142,000 base salary. That figure does not include his dry-cleaning, overtime, township vehicle with gas and many other entitlements his contract allows for. I suggest that you call the township bookkeep and ask. You will see that his total compensation package is greater than Dr. Seitz' is. And just to let you know, Capt. Carifi is not the highest earner on the police force.

But like I said Joan we can't have it both ways. I don't know anything about the other 45 to 55 students but the other one is pretty clear to me regarding those 11. By allowing those 11 kids to go to school here means it's perfectly okay for them to break rules. I heard that kids might get their phone taken away if they have theirs out but I can guarantee the rule is loose for these 11 kids. And Like I said earlier you might be doing these kids or another kid a favor by getting rid of them. Like I said earlier if one of the 11 is a bully I don't think we should tell parents your child is being bullied because the one doing the bullying is one of 11 kids who rules do not apply to. Do not tell me that children of Teachers are treated EXACTLY THE SAME as all other students in the exact same situations. I can almost guarantee that if my child got caught with their phone out it would get taken away. If that same person caught the child of a teacher and knows the teacher it would not get taken away. Can you honestly tell me everyone will be treated equally all cross the board?

Gordon, I have no idea who the 11 students are nor which schools they attend but I would hope they are treated and behave like any other student should. My point, and the point a lot of others are trying to make is that the board addressed this issue several years ago and did away with the policy. With all the issues facing our school district, I think if you and I were to make a list of priorities, these 11 students would not make the top 10 list. Capt. Carifi make it loud and clear the other night that expelling these 11 students, through no fault of their own, is his number one priority. I am not exaggerating when I write that Capt. Carifi's first motion as a newly elected board member was to have those 11 children removed from the school the very next morning. After some discussion, Capt. Carifi amended his idea to give the students until the end of the month.

Joan, Thanks for pointing out the perks that Mr. Carifi recieves as a police officer. It does seem a little odd that a generously rewarded township employee, like Mr. Carifi, wouuld target the perks of other township employees. Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black. Either way, this perk is being phased out. It seems rather cruel that Mr. Carifi would like to remove these children mid-year. I don't believe there is much incremental expense in keeping them for the balance of the year.

What's interesting here as reported by a few people in this posting is that BOE dealt with this issue years ago by stopping the practice and then allowing the remaining 11 kids to finish up school in Parsippany. Was their an outcry then by anyone (resident or Board member) about allowing these 11 kids to continue to be educated here. WHY is this even an issue now!?!?! Let's focus on more important issues and let this "already in the books"issue alone as these kids will graduate within the next few years.

Just because the BOE in previous years spent money like drunken sailors on administrative contracts/perks/lofty retirement packages, and turned a blind eye to Par-Troy taxpayers footing the bill to educate of nonresident students -- does not mean I, as a parent and taxpayer, want to keep to this status quo. NO money makes its way to the classroom teacher and busing regularly is cut for thousands of Par-Troy students who are residents-but we continuously fund for children who DON'T BELONG here. This is insanity at its best.

For those above who want to continue subsidizing out-of-district kids -- more power to you -- but you do NOT represent me and thousands of voters/taxpayers in this district. You keep paying, and I will support those who want to put a stop to it (and Ms. Cogan, who I voted for).

We are living in strenuous times of regular layoffs, furloughs, pay cuts and tax hikes. The backs of Par-Troy taxpayers CAN NOT withstand this insane BOE culture of footing out-of-district children's education. Mr. Carifi's approach may be a bit direct, but he is looking out for the kids and families of PARSIPPANY whose paychecks are under continuous threat of not making ends meet. All you "benefactors" better collectively wake up and smell the coffee -- dire fiscal times of today are directly related to past wreckless practices. I forecast regularly-rejected school budgets as all the taxpayers will have moved to districts will more sound fiscal policy.

Where are all the talented adults in Parsippany? Come on out and get involved. The current board are ill-equipped to do what are in the best interests of children. Plain and simple there needs to be an upgrade. This board will be the laughingstock of Morris County. Why does Frank stay? I was told he tok care of his relatives. Is that true?

I am a recent graduate of Parsippany High School (2011) and am now enrolled in a college. When I heard about what happened at this board of ed meeting, my heart sank. Not because of the policy Cariffi wishes to suspend, but because of the nonchalant way he did. That was wrong and egotistical, and I was in sheer disbelief. My issue with it is the fact that there are SO many things wrong with this school system right now that are affecting the STUDENTS. After all, they are the ones who go to these schools, not the board or the commentators on this website. Maybe the board should focus more attention on fixing the current problems with the administration or the fact that the high school is pretty much falling apart physically and less on their egos. In my opinion, NO ONE on the board seems to be competent enough to make decisions to improve the students' education and trust me, the students are far from happy. They should not be counting down the days til graduation.

One last thing. I have to say, everyone here who are googling people's names and degrading people in order to feel superior, regardless of your opinion, you are part of the problem. It's unbelievable that you all are parents-adults who have nothing better to do than trash each other on a community website. Maybe you should use that energy to go out and speak out against the issues you see with this board. Go to the meetings, vote, see to it that this doesn't happen again. It's your town- do something about it.

Student,
That is without a doubt one of the best posts I've ever read on patch. You are certainly going places, and I thank you for your sincere, eye-opening, and heartfelt truth.

That is correct Natalie Davis. But the point here being: There will be a threshold reached when Par-Troy taxpayers are fed up and/or unable to shell out money to fund budgets which deny their resident-students initiatives and needs (i.e. more $$ to classroom teachers, busing, supplies) but yet subsizes nonresidents who again -- DO NOT BELONG in the district. Taxpayers will revolt in some form and/or just move out of district -- plain and simple. Then good luck funding these budgets on which the public no longer votes.

I get your point, Greg, and thank you for sharing it. Just pointing out a pertinent fact.

Student, thank you as well, though I wish you had shared your name. I would love to know the problems from your perspective. Please feel free to email me so we can chat. And good luck at school!

I remember meeting the late great Millicent Fenwick, when attending Parsippany Hills, where she spoke about public service as a privilege, and that those who are elected that they have a responsibility to serve the greater good.
For the Board of Education to treat the 11 children as if they are criminals is beyond questionable, it is without conscious. These families represent .0015 % of the children enrolled in the district with a fiscal impact that is less then of a rounding error on most budget items.
It is my suggestion that the Board of Education, cease with hateful distracting policy changes, and instead address insuring that Parsippany deliverers a rich, and full education experience.

I think we should all take note from "Student"'s comments.all this is is a distraction for the real needs of our town schools. Put away the disdain because your candidate did not get in and embrace that somethings need to change.I am not saying you have to agree with how it was approached,My guess is these kids will be in school on Monday and for the rest of the year.
Let this new board come together and fix what is broken,I dont think anyone can deny that it needs fixing.

All i can say is "wow" just "wow". Not saying if I agree or not with the position but can we give the guy a meeting or two to break in. We have all started something new and I can guarantee the first attempt didn't please everyone. People here are more worried (sounds like jealous) of a person's title or salary. If you don't like what is happening; RUN FOR OFFICE- GET INVOLVED. Stop attacking someone's character just to make yourself feel better; especially with a "screen name".

Student I totally agree. The fact of the matter is the board is oblivious to what really goes on in the schools which I've been saying for years. See the administration way of dealing with things is not dealing with them at all and pretend like they're going to go away on there own. When a teacher does something bad her opinion on what happened is the only one that matters.

Kevin, Im saying with all of the issues in the past 12 months ie: Contracts for Seitz,lawsuits,FOD back door meetings, Secret e-mails etc.. Your legience to the good ol boys of past is obvious.Let he or she who has never made a bad first impression be cast to the wolves.

Kevin you'd be quite surprised but children of ALL Staff members do sometimes get Treated differently but not just for the good but for bad too. Like if I made a mistake growing up alot of teachers would be like Why can't you be more like Michael or Danielle my older siblings who were very well respected by the teachers and administration. Trust me you can say it isn't there but I know for a FACT that it is there but it's not just good things there are bad that come with that territory too. I'm not saying Teachers of kids could get away with murder. The penalty might not be as severe or it might even be more severe then other students.

I attended the BOE meeting last Thursday evening and wanted to take some time to reflect upon what I saw and heard at that meeting, Having done so I wanted to share my thoughts from the perspective of having served on the BOE for seven years.
(1) Mr. Carifi has a lot to offer but a lot to learn. Though used to and comfortable in a command and control structure Mr. Carifi needs to understand that the BOE moves forward by reaching a consensus that still respects the viewpoints of the minority. Policy and process are the mechanisms by which change is brought about and campaign pledges are tested and kept. Unilateral edicts won't stand the test of time and will rob the BOE's decision making process of alternative and valuable viewpoints.
(2) Mrs. Cogan should be given every consideration to be named as the ninth BOE member. Her tenacity (has run twice) her genuine interest (regularly attends BOE meetings), her perspective (as a parent) and her financial skills make her unique among the individuals who will be asking for the opportunity to serve on the BOE. If selected she must stay true to her obligation to independently serve the entire Parsipany community regardless of the position her running mate and/or BOE supporters might take.
(3) The 11 students who have been grandfathered in should be allowed to continue their studies in the Parsippany school system. When that practice was ended by a prior Board that was the agreement reached and it should be honored.

(4) The issue of the 45-50 students proves that the current student enrollment review process works. As I understood the answer provided by the Administration at the BOE meeting, the families of all of the 45-50 students were able to provide the required documentation when asked to do so. Exploring options to better partner with the municipality to ensure that students being educated on the tax payers dime meet residency requirements is worth considering but needs to be done rationally and fairly.
(5) The dynamics of the BOE changed radically with the election of President Golderer and Vice President Shamsudin and those who were in the minority on the BOE are now in leadership roles. The responsibilities that go with those roles are formidable
(6) Mrs. Golderer is to be commended for her willingness to take on the heavy responsibility of serving as President which will consume much of her time during the next 12 months. She deserves the time to learn on the job and needs the support and advice from more experienced Board members including Mr. Strumolo, Dr. Calabria and Mrs.Orthwein. Mrs. Golderer will need their support to succeed if the Board is to have any chance of backing away from the teetering cliff it is currently perched on.
(7) The year is new and yet the Parsippany BOE at its first meeting in 2013 looked and sounded like the BOE of yesteryear. It is time to move on and it is time to move forward
(8) Best wishes and good luck

We have no children but can honestly say that living in Parsippany is getting worst in the few short years we have been here. Pull up the ranking of Parsippany's shools on Greatshools.org and see how they compare to some of the areas and I would say that Parsippany BOE is falling down on the job. The lack of structure, organization and agenda by Parsippany BOE is almost as bad as the townships desire to allow zoning changes to slap cheap housing in Intervale and behind the Irish restaurant on 46. I came from an area in PA where all the schools were ranked 9s and 10s (Wilson School district in Berks county PA) and here schools are ranked 5-7 yet taxes are double... I expect excellence for the money I spend -- I am not voting someone into office because they are a Democrat or Republican or were previously a cop or firefighter. I am voting the best person in to get the job done -- while I don't want to pay to educate kids from outside of our tax base I do want my neighbor's kids to get the best education possible. We spend a heck of a lot of money or artificials turfs but judging by the test scores on Greatschools.org I would say that Parsippany is far behind where I came from in Wilson schools in (Berks county PA) and those kids are going to be better prepared for a future. Also since I am paying double what I was back there I am just wondering where all the money is going... The corruption here is simply unbelievable but nobody wants to deal with it - ethics anyone?

Kevin, my apologies for lumping you in as I have not gone back to see your previous comments.And I do not agree doing anything with the eleven but letting them finish out there school years if thats what it is,as you said fair is fair.
I just hope people realize how broken this BOE was and give it more than 48 hours to see changes.

Todd M. Finchler--So what if taxpayers don't have children in the district and are recent residents. Their opinions, input and hard-earned tax dollars (that help pay for your kids' education) are well appreciated in this township. And "Reality Checker" is not too off-base for the little time they have been here.

As a parent, taxpayer and real estate exec. who uses and monitors "great-schools dot-org" regularly, information derived from this website is often backed by other school ranking agencies.

I respectfully request you worry less about the pseudonyms being used and more about school rankings and its real effect on preparing our children for the future (or lack thereof) and property values.

"Great school dot org" ranks Par-Troy Hills 7 out of 10 and Par-High ranks 5 out of 10. This troubling evidence of long-term educational disparity within district and decline on the east side of township (post-2006) is reinforced by NJ Monthly's biannual ranking of Top 100 High Schools as follows:

2012 - Par-High 86, Par-Troy Hills 23
2010 - Par-High 84, Par-Troy Hills 50
2008 - Par-High 104 (not even in the top 100), Par-Troy Hills 87
2006 - Par-High 84, Par-Troy Hills 87

Homeowners/property investors on the east side of town should be quite concerned because property values are tied into these school ratings (Todd won't be able to lobby for or ascertain more money for sellers just because he has lived here since the '70's, LOL).

Dear Real Estate Executive:

You continue to monitor that web site and what it says about PHS and PHHS.

I will continue to monitor my children, their teachers and the schools.

Believe it or not - school is what you make of it. Those students who work hard and learn will succeed - even despite what that web site may say.

But when someone comes onto this forum to belittle our school system - with no kids enrolled, little time here and based on extremely weak empircal evidence - I shall point that out in defense of our school system. And I shall do so with my full given and surnames.

Maybe you can send your post to all homeowners on the east side along with your business card to see if people will be lining up to list with you, so they can move to somewhere rated as an 8 or 9 by that web site.

(I learned a lot about sarcasm as a literary tool at PHS!)

Take a deep breath Todd M. Finchler. That sarcasm you learned at PHS is getting you nowhere. Giving full names while speaking in the abstract provides no credibility to your argument.

You were called out on the facts. If you don't like them, call the entities that generate them, don't blame the people who monitor and invest around them. Your assumption that I sell houses is also misguided -- your school-learned "sarcasm as a literary tool" appears not to have you seeing straight.

Absolutely, school is what you make of it. However, every parent on the east side of town should have been (since 2008) and be putting the heat on the BOE to close the gap on this long-term, student-performance disparity between the two high schools. Instead, the BOE was overpaying for administrators, forcing students to pay for some school supplies, reducing busing while footing the education bill for nonresident students' who shouldn't be here in the first place.

New residents like "Reality Checker" resonably are looking for more data-driven results for their hard-earned taxpaying dollar and property investment, it was not to belittle the school district. Again breathe in Todd, keep the sarcasm in check, and your reading comprehension skills may improve.

Good Night Todd.

Todd -- glad you have been here a long time. I can't say we intend to stay that long and already assessing other options. Property values are dropping in this town and with the performance at on the BOE side of thing and town officials looking to expand the rental market and increase congestion this is looking more like a future Dover (but that is our observation recently) . When commercial ventures don't perform well in this town they just influence your officials to rezone and sell slums and add to the congestion -- or take bribes like back in 2002 (isn't that the NJ way). I don't see my wife and I looking to support that tax base for long. You can sit there and live in the past or look at the recent trend and be concerned. If you are concerned -- you can do something to make it better, do nothing at all or move (that is really your 3 choices when it boils down to it). In our case option 3 is looking pretty appealing at the moment.

Todd -- one other thing I have an above average 5 figure tax bill that supports these schools and as a taxpayer and property owner I expect excellence and as a taxpayer contributing towards the schools in this town I would expect that my tax dollar give me some say. Excellence in schools is good for crime, it is good for property resale values (both important to town residents with and without kids) and it is good for hopefully those sticking around in the area for the future genreation to have a decent education to make sound decisions and earn a decent living to be able to continue helping make the community strong. But hey we aren't parents so we shouldn't care with those 10,000+ in property taxes and five figues + of state and local taxes go.

I respect both of your absolute right to use whatever data is available to you to evaluate our local schools. (No sarcasm here.) I have different data available since I have children in the school system, because I interact with hundreds of children and parents in local youth sports programs and because I was a product of these same schools, so I have a different frame of reference. We could debate the merits of standardized tests scores as being the barometer of educational excellence, but that would take us even further astray from the original topic of this argument.

I wish you both well.

FYI - Regarding After thoughts on your posts...Its best to think through your posts completely and make your edits prior to posting as all of your edits are emailed to everyone...Ange, I didn't realize this until I just received 3 or 4 versions of your latest post....

Fact of the matter is we don't know if Money would be saved by taking the kids out. Also guys we can ALL have a chat and be respectful of one another's opinion without yelling at each other. Everybody has a right to their opinion whether we agree with it or not. For those people saying it wouldn't save money we don't know that for sure. I would Like to RESPECTFULLY point out that we don't know who the 11 kids are. However as I have been sutdying the law for the last 5 years or so Special needs kids do cost more to educate. If one of those eleven kids Has in his IEP(Individual Educational PLan) That he needs to have a 1 to 1 aide then they HAVE to give it to him they don't have the option so in that sense you can say that they would save money. Also a lot of kids who have special needs may also have Transportation privlidges and Gas and drivers do not pay themselves. Come on guys we're neighbors there is no reason why we can't ALL be respectful to one another.

Steve, with all due respect...and you know I respect you... Its not going to cost any more to keep these kids in school for the rest of the year. These people are under contract for the year. They are not going to...and they cannot fire a special education teacher because a couple kids move out of town in the middle of the year. This really is a load of nonsense and hopefully the individual who tried to cut his teeth on this issue has learned his lesson and will go on to become a more productive and compassionate member of the board.

Why are they talking about special ed. That's why they brought special ed. back because it's cheaper to teach them at the district level instead of sending them to out of district schools. If you start taking kids out of schools I think the state starts taking money from the system because of lower enrollment.

Four days of reading everyone missing the main point, it's not removing kids but holding people accountable for improper spending. Why is everyone so focused on Carifi's profession, are you all that afraid of Police Officers. He is not holding the kids responsible but the people that put us in this predicament. Why hasn't anyone looked to Calabria for answers, he was there when this policy started. The public is tired of Seitz, Calabria, and Orthwein masking their remarks through other people. Seitz and Calabria are cheered by Sclafani, Orthwein remarks through her nephew, Kevin Brancato and let's not forget Carol M. who many know her as Debbie Orme. Let's stop this nonsense and focus on the real issues like the fields, test grades/rankings, teacher's contracts and repairs. Let's support this change in the board because it's obvious Dr. Calabria's 30 plus years experience how cost our children greatly.

Mr. Comora The respect goes both ways and I respect you and your entire family as well. What I was saying I wasn't talking about getting rid of teachers in anyway. Let's just say that for example 10 out of the 11 kids are in special education and each of them Have their own aid who is making 15 thousand dollars a year. That's 150 thousand dollars right there and that is not something that can be compromised if it's in their IEP. As wierd as it sounds the superintendent nor the board controls how many Paraprofessionals get hired The IEP team at each of the schools really does. I never said I was for kicking them out in the middle of a school year but at the same time I never said I was against having them leave after the school year was finished. Also at the same time and I'm not just talking about for Schools but for everything I just don't like the idea of Grandfathering in because it could just create even MORE controversy. Now a friend of mine pointed out something really interesting. Who decides what school the child goes too? I mean I went to eastlake because of where I lived. Does the (parentA.K.A teacher) decide or do they have to go where ever their is a spot available or does the super intendent decide? Also, I have nothing against any of these kids and believe they should ATLEAST be allowed to finsih out the year.

Steve Revette

Mr. Brancato the whole thing is really a hypothetical situation. I wasn't talking about getting rid of special education teachers or any teachers at all. All I'm saying is it isn't a fact that we wouldn't save money because if those kids are in special education and have a 1 to 1 aid we wouldn't need that one to one aid and we'd save money there. I know that eliminating a couple kids will not get rid of a teacher. To be perfectly honest it doesn't matter to me how the board goes about doing this I wouldn't lose sleep over seeing the kids stay or seeing the kids go. Also Mr. Brancato even teachers kids have special needs so we don't know. The odds of atleast 1 having special needs is pretty good. Also I'm not arguing anything because I agree with the mjaority that kicking them out is not a good idea and really the only thing I'm against is Grandfathering and that is for EVERYTHING. So I wasn't talking about getting rid of that teacher but we'd save money by getting rid of the aid.

I'm not arguing with you and I AGREE with you that they should be allowed to stay. I don't mind paying the extra money if their is any so they can go to school here. But it's also not fair to say that the taxpayers ABSOLUTELY 100 percent for sure wouldn't save a penny when we don't know for sure because we don't know anything about these 11 kids. Let me say I agree that if we promised these kids they could go to school here then we owe it to them to follow through with our promise. However None of us can sit here and say for sure that money would or wouldn't be saved when we do NOT know ALL the facts about these eleven kids.

Update:Nor 11 or 55 kids have been forceably been removed from Parsippany Schools,It is fair to assume that Mr.Carifi's suggestion didnt warm to many hearts but realisticly asking the tough questions is finally being done.I think that is something to look forward to,who knows sooner or later this may help in another matter that may be more important to you. THe kids are fine and lets try to focus on the fact that solving issues starts with asking tough questions.

Well said Mr. Dean. For decades the buck has been passed, and things got swept under the rug, and fingers were pointed. Special favors were done for certain people and that's why we're in the current state of affairs.