BOE President: School Board Undecided on FOD

 President Frank Calabria said it's possible that the body could OK the proposed  as early as next Thursday, but it isn't likely.

"The town really hasn't shown the full board any formal proposal yet," Calabria told Patch. "And while the members have their own opinions on it, I don't know what they're thinking."

And he isn't about to ask them.

"I have made it my policy on my part not to poll the board in any way," he said. "They should have the right to hear as much information as possible so they can make a decision on the true merits."

Calabria said he had hoped the state Department of Education would offer clear direction on whether to move forward with the controversial Fields of Dreams plan, which has divided much of the town.  

Under the proposal, the BOE would have to cede 51 percent of its control over the football fields at  and  to the township. This would allow the municipality to obtain the conservation easement it needs to  in athletic improvements for the schools, including the installation of artificial turf fields.

"We were surprised," Calabria said. "We thought the state would give us a yes or no answer and we didn't get that."

An April 18 letter from the , including winning approval for the controversial idea from the Parsippany Planning Board.

If, as the state said, the decision is up to the board, its president insists that a formal proposal must come first. 

Apparently, that proposal was not presented by the town in an April 26 meeting between Mayor James Barberio, Superintendent of Schools LeRoy Seitz, Calabria and three BOE members.

At the gathering, in which both sides were represented by legal counsel, those in attendance discussed a potential shared-services arrangement between the school district and the town, but took no action.

A post-meeting news release indicated that nothing would be done without first getting more input from the public.

"We need to have a definitive plan of action," Calabria said. "We have not seen any proposal from the town yet. So it would not be fair to ask the board to make any decision yet. Perhaps we will have that information by Thursday [at the next BOE meeting]. We'll see.

"But I , and I meant it."