Gov Christie's grand plan to disrupt public education is in place and is working. His ultimate goal is to privatize the system. I wonder how he is involved with the folks who own and run charter schools.

So lets see how much money the governor's plan is going to save the taxplayers. Dr. Seitz will now retire, rather than face a forced paycut. He will receive 80% or so of his last couple years of pay, which will likely be more than what he would receive if he accepted the new contract. He will then go on to work as an interim super and likely receive more than he would working in Parsippany with the new contract, plus he will receive his pension. Jackpot! Parsippany will now have to hire an interim Super who knows nothing about our district and will likely pay as much or more than the new contract for this individual. Sounds like a wonderful plan! I thank the one or 2 board members who are left, who tried to keep this from happening.

Sis boom ba
Sis boom ba
Seitz is gone
Ra ra ra

You dont know what you got till it's gone!

Time will tell. Not sureiof the impact he had anyway. I hope the football coach did some research before stepping into this role. Difficult place to coach.

Thank goodness... Seitz and his overpriced salary and Astroturf delusions are gone... I have visited our schools for voitng and I am embarassed as should the BOE and Custodial Staff for the poor, run-down, filty conditions our children have to "learn" in...

It finally got thru his hard head that he was worthless as a Superintendant!!!

Good luck finding an effective and experienced Super for the salary cap amount. The role will be filled by an interim while a protracted search goes on and we are left with a lesser Super. Thanks for nothing Governor Christie! You can kiss my Republican vote goodbye this November. My kids are in the system and I think they will (indirectly) suffer from this nonsense.

You would think he would have finished out the school year.

The only think I think is wrong here is that he should've left sooner.

Stop complaining about the past. Move forward. Great opportunity to fix what was wrong and make it right.

Gigante can be superintendent. She'll be a great superintendent.

The system let us down again by not doing the best thing for the kids of our town. The football coaching situation was one that left egg on the faces of the powers that be,. Now after multiple delays they made a teaching hire to fill a position that could have/ should have been filled by a current teacher in he high school who is already familiar with the students the football program and the feeder program. I wish the new coach luck and success but once again political favors outweigh common sense. Are there no local teachers who could use a teaching job in town? Is this coach that successful where he is from that we need to create a job and by pass competent candidates that exist in town?

Another hire from the same "neck of the woods" for Risk and Fonti. South Plainfield. When have they ever been good in football?

The last coach was from there also and you know how that turned out.

Speaking of Football:
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ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL
(June and July training session)
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Choose sessions based on your athlete.
JUNE ONLY SESSIONS, JULY ONLY SESSIONS,
both JUNE & JULY SESSIONS.

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https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/223493_423059537773322_667385526_n.jpg?dl=1

Who votes to make the coaches decision? Do they not believe in Pride in Parsippany? Do they feel creating a job to hire a coach who went 5-5-1 last year was a good idea? No disrespect to Coach as I am sure he is sincerely committed to the jobs. But my question is, Was this teaching position unfilled or a created position and if so were there other candidates considered for the teachers portion of the job? I am confused if anyone can shed some light on the process that would be great.

As a former student from the Parsippany District, hearing about Seitz resignation brought feelings of gratitude. Both he and many (not all) of the BOE members have put political agendas before the needs of the schools and the students. I remember Central Middle School having about half of the windows broken in that they could not be closed or opened... they were stuck in whatever position you found them in.
The idea of installing turf at the high school is a waste; the education of our youth is the whole point of these schools.
Also I wish to add that the Superintendent (however good he was at his job) consistently earned the ire of the student body for the controversies surrounding his contract and salary. Not one of my former class mates are sad to see him gone.

They don't know what a good coach is if it him them smack between the eyes. Honestly though the good ones will stay away. There is no history at all of winning or any tradition. Sounds like someone in the building wanted it. No leadership at the High!

I truly believe that we are going to see a significant loss to our education in Parsippany. I worry for the children in Parsippany. Our schools maybe secure under this Boe but the children's education is at risk.
Best of luck to Dr. Seitz.

following is taken from transcript From A Segment Of Governor Christie’s Keynote Speech At The Foundation For Excellence In Education Dinner In Washington, DC On Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I am being sued today by a school board who wants to give their superintendent a salary higher than the cap, and is spending taxpayer money to sue the Governor and the Commissioner of Education to get the higher salary for their superintendent, despite the fact that dozens of citizens showed up at the school board meeting to protest it. This is Dr. Leroy Seitz in Parsippany, New Jersey, who I have now crowned the new poster boy of greed and arrogance in public education in New Jersey. [applause] But as this fight is going on, let me explain to you that Dr. Seitz is getting company, people are competing in New Jersey for me to give them a new title. [laughter]

WE are going to see a significant gain to our education system in Parsippany with the exit of Seitz.

The students weren't his priority, period. Met him a few times and was never impressed, we can do better.

The old shop teacher didn't do to bad for himself.

Look long and hard for a Super...you don't want someone who just likes the one side of the town. There are two sides of this town...Not one is better then the other...so until he/she recognizes that there are two sides in this town...get someone who is neutral...

He should have resigned back when everyone in town, except for the BOE members who back stabbed the taxpayers of Parsippany, were outraged about his disregard of the salary cap. Even now Seitz knows he'll lose in court and will have to accept the lower salary. He rather leave the mess he created in our town and collect his pension or have some other town pay him for his services. It's all about him. We still need to vote out Mancuso next year for the trouble he caused in this town. We'll find a new superintendant. No one is irreplaceable.

It's amazing that the success that this district has had under the leadership of Dr. Seitz is lost in this Christie Cap. We forced out our Superintendent for doing a good job. We are in big trouble.

Alleluia!

Be on the lookout for a ligtening strike over Town Hall
First The Super then the Duper
Only leaves the Pontiff Papal himself
It could happen couldnt it ??

This news call for a celebration!!!!!!!! Rejoyce Parsippany!!! This is undoubtedly the best news of 2013. Wish you all the WORST in your future greedy boy. And you Nancy stop defending him just because you still have your little job. The teachers he let go in 2010 are in 7th heaven. May he find the worst future awaiting him. Betz is next.

Thank you Roman. Actually, I have been very kind towards Seitz. Believe me, he deserves much more.. pain and sorrow. He had no regard or pity for the teachers that actually went to talk to him. They were the best teachers Parsippany ever had. They were not tenured and didn't have political connections. That is why they were let go. Shameful and disgraceful behavior. Every dog gets his day. Ah!!!!!! the law of karma!!! How sweet it is!!!

Nothing is impossible. We should have legislation in place that prohibits and strictly forbids the hiring of "family members or friends of the family". People should get hired based on their qualifications, character, education and experience. This is a foreign notion in Parsippany. Unfortunately, this is why we have this mess and this level of mediocracy; especially, at the administration level. Look around the high school carefully. You will see it clearly.

Joyful ---- you are right on the money!!! Rejoyce Parsippany -- it is time to clean house. Seitz is going, our useless Police Chief is gone after March 1 and hopefully this useless, ineffective and bumbling Mayor will be shown the out door by voters. Parsippany residents, taxpayers, parents and children deserve more than what we have been getting and paying dearly for.

The end of something.. brings a new beginning. Lets all work towards these new opportunities. I totally agree with you;Parsippany's residents deserve it, the students deserve it more. Unfortunately, these two very important elements of our society get ignored and under-represented. Hope that 2013 brings clean, fresh air in Parsippany. It is about time.

The previous football coach was not from South Plainfield.

Please don't jump all over me just because I have a different view but, I don't get all this animosity towards the Super. I've seen a huge influx of technology in my children's classrooms that I thought would take a decade because Mr Vasile & that interim super had left us so far behind. I've seen our HSs climb in rank, both being in the top 100 & the Hills in the top 25. I've seen Dr Seitz at BTSN, plays & sports. I've seen budgets under 2% with more MS courses and no negative impact on my children. I've seen Central's class sizes dramatically reduced & our academic teams recognized on state & national levels. I've seen cameras & locking doors installed & old, dark windows finally replaced in buildings. I've seen children attend a summer leadership camp at school. I've seen bad teachers gone from classrooms & good teachers spending time helping my struggling child succeed. I've seen all these good things and can't understand how these things don't matter. I agree that there is always room for improvement but from what I've seen, our schools have been moving forward while Dr Seitz has been here and I worry about how long it will take before our schools are back on that path again while we see another interim bide his time here and then while we wait for a new super to get up to speed after that. A couple of years delay might not matter to someone who only cares about what someone's salary is but for me, its far too large a percentage of time in my children's education.

Carol, It seems we may be the in the minority here on the Patch, but I would agree with you. I've been happy with the quality of education my kids have received and I understand others have different opinions and experiences. Looking back at the past 18 years that my kids have been in school, I believe Dr. Seitz has been the best Super. I'm concerned with what the future will bring, but who knows, we could all be pleasantly surprised. I'm trying to be optimistic!

Wonder why Ms. Tedesco is leaving? So strange to accept a position and leave a month later.

Can you believe SABRETTI'S now serves ALLIGATOR SAUSAGE: Italiano Style?

Alligator sausage, Peppers, Onions & Potatoes on an Italian Long Roll.

Sabretti's is located on 22 Lakeside Boulevard in Hopatcong if you would like to test your taste buds, I glad I did.

As a past student in the Parsippany education system for 13 years I feel I received one of the best educations this country has to offer and feel Dr. Seitz was a key contributor to that success. His 220K salary is fairly large for his field but he would make double or triple that in the same position in the private sector. He was completely worth the salary and was a strong asset to the Parsippany youth. As someone who aspires to one day be a Superintendent, I hope I can be as good as LeRoy.

The people in the building on Parsippny road are out of touch. They sit in the ivory tower and make all the decisions and they never step foot in the buildings or get input from the teachers. Teachers should evaluate or be given the opportunity to evaluate them. Switzerland was not personal-hid in corner. Football hiring is and gas been disastrous. There are many good football Coaches in the other buildings.

Meant Seitz hid in the corner.

There are plenty of more qualified football coaches in the school district that may or may not be currently coaching. There would be quite a staff. I have a friend who says there would be a great coach down in one of the middle schools. Overall there is a lack of knowing how to pick good strong leaders in the district.

To: David Comora

I don't know anything about Dr. Seitz, however if he likes the Alligator Sausage at Sabretti's Hot Dogs in Hopatcong, apparently he has good taste in food.

If the kids,parents, and athletic members voted there wouldn't be a fired, losing coach from S Plainfiled getting the job no less creating a job to accomodate him. What a joke it is to know that a teacher is hired this way and a coach is selected this way. On the bright side it'll be hard to be worse than the last 4 years but at least they are trying to. The real issue is the creation of a position this just sounds ludicrous. I have a friend with a masters and was a teacher for 20 years who can't get a job in Parsippany schools she should have applied for the coaches position.

Be sure to come to the special work session 2/21 to show your displeasure with the school fields. Let's stay strong and passionate to ensure that this BOE is going to take steps to start to improve these deplorable fields. Let's not allow the resignation of Dr. Seitz and the BA to put the brakes on any fields improvements for this year.
We cannot allow this district to continue to brush athletics aside. Let's ensure that this year we will have safe fields/tracks on which to play. We may not get turf, but we can certainly demand more than rocks and dirt to play on.
Please - come out on 2/21 to voice your concerns over the fields and demand solutions. Spring track starts in less than 2 months!

I did some researching and found out the the new football coach in his last year at South Plainfield was 3-7. Last year at Dunnellon High School as an assistant coach the team was 8-3 and played in the semi final game against Hoboken High School who eventually won the state championship. Also in 2007 South Plainfield played in the finals at Giant Stadium. It just takes a little research to find out facts and we all know that a 1-9-2 record can't happen. Only winning teams get to play extra games.

Oh well then I apologize Mike by all means let's create a job for this 3-7 head coach. Now it makes sense

Did not someone say he was fired previously? Lets hope this time fonti did a little research. In Parsippny they just put another warm body in their coaching positions. They have proven time and again to not check backgrounds. You might say they are lazy.

Its not the coaches position that is troubling (although it is) but more troubling its the fact that we can create a job in town paid for by us to fulfill the job. I guess no one can explain the process so I bid you adieu on this subject. I will support the coach 100% I want the high school's atheletics,academics, and reputation to all be stellar!! Go Redhawks!!!

Agree with u. Want kids to be successful. I am done to.

If Dr. Seitz wanted to prove to the community that the students came first and he was worth his salary, he could have opted to stay until graduation. But instead he chose to take his unused sick/vacation days and leave the school high and dry on May 15th. People in the private sector do not get paid for unused days and people all over the world volunteer countless hours over the course of years...this is not a huge sacrifice. If he had made the decision to voluntarily stay the extra month, both his and the Parsippany BOE's tarnished reputation could have justified the excess in his value. His decision only intensifies the widespread belief of his greed.

Everyone can be replaced. It is as simple as that. Not everyone is as greedy as Seitz. I find it sickening that action was taken to circumvent the pay cap - this shows lack of character, leadership and integrity. If teachers, students and parents have to pay a priceand compromise in this economy - so did Seitz- he is not better than us. There are plenty of folks seeking this position, and if the board members do their job right, it is not the position of superintendent that makes a good board of ed - it is the ENTIRE board of ed.

Seitz has nothing to do with the success or failure of our children. Lets be real here. The man is just another political scumbag. Success comes from quality educators, parental oversight and the willingness of the students to learn. If there was no super no one would probably know the difference. Let the boe do what they were elected to do.

I agree not sure how much impact the super has and Seitz really is not that impressive of a leader. Check his prior places and they were happy to see him leave.

Looks Like Strumolo and "CREW" cost the Parsippany school system dearly...Superintendent resigns, BA quits because the "CREW" wont let her do her job...whats next!! They continue to cost the taxpayers more and more each week not to mention are going to decimate the education of our children with their self centered antics. . Mike Strumolo’s ignorance and belligerence continues to hurt the kids. Start the recall!! Strumolo, Carifi, Dinintinis, Golderer, Shamsudin and Martin ALL MUST GO!!!.. Get them out of office before it’s to late. Parsippany wake-up!!

And a message to Hankey!! …Stop embarrassing yourself. We all see you at the land of Misfit toys, aka “The Gas Station”. Everyone knows you take your orders from Mikey. Please don’t embarrass yourself any more with listening to misguided individuals like this. Stop being his crony and do what’s right. Your to smart for that. 20 years ago you would do whats right and be your own person! What happened!!!

It's about time Seitz left. I am disappointed the Board of Education did not get rid of him before he had a chance to resign.

John I am curious to your belief that the new BOE is costing the taxpayers so dearly,Have you been sleeping for the past 4 years?
Pay close attention in the up coming weeks as to the real loss of funds that the former BOE cost you and the rest of us.

Just read in NJ.com that our new school board approved a contract with teachers that gives them a 3% increase this year and a 2 1/2 % increase next year and a 2 1/2% increase the year after. Considering we are on a 2% capped increase each year, I'm wondering if this was a wise thing to do? Where will they be cutting the money from, in order to pay these increases which are above the 2% annual cap?

I guess we'll find out. Also don't we have to go back and pay them retro pay for the previous year. I know I'm probably going to get blasted for this I was really hoping for a pay freeze from the teachers this year. However at the same time Teachers raises work different then our raises supposedly. Apparently the 3 percent is a raise to the total amount of the teachers salaries. So say The total salaries for teachers in the District was 70 million. That would increase by 3 percent and then I don't know how it is divided among the teachers. This is what I was told by teachers I don't know if it is true or not.

Exactly they get retro pay. I can't name one private sector job where you get retro pay. I might be wrong I might not. Also everybody's health insurance went up mine included. Also unlike teachers even though I've been at my job for six plus years I can still get fired. I don't think you should really call having excessive perks from the beginning a loss. Remember teachers have one of the greatest perks of all. They can almost never be fired.

Maybe jay was a choice I do not know but I hear there are many talented football Coaches in the district currently with experience. This job is massive. It is going to take a lot of energy and hours. The AD has very little knowledge about athlectics. Wants to be principal. Kids suffer.

There are certainly better candidates then a fired coach who won 4 games in his last 3 years as head coach and then assisted last year. Especially one who is on top of the pay scale and we create a job out of thin air for. For this teaching job to magically appear to get a proven NON Winner in the door and who just happens to be from South Plainfield smacks of BULLS#@T

So, they hired a 60 yr old coach to turn the program around? I could definitely see that working (said nobody, ever). They should just bring back Coach Yesunas

Maybe jay would have been a good hire,I do not know but it is clear that Fonti the AD knows very little about athletics. He should never have been hired to ve the A.D.How in the works was he allowed w Tom r. To make another hire. They don't seem to do their h.w. Jay,you need to Coach somewhere else if you are interested in your coaching career.