Schools
Choffo: BOE Expected to Adopt Budget With Little 'Fanfare'
After Gov. Christie last week ordered only a minimal adjustment to Seitz's salary in contract, board members expect to adopt budget without controversy at Tuesday night meeting.
The BOE is scheduled to adopt its Tuesday night after a public hearing, and at least one board member expects it to happen without the fierce debates that have marked past meetings.
"I think it will happen with little fanfare,'' said BOE member Andrew Choffo. The board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the .
After Gov. Chris Christie threatened to unless the BOE rescinded the the budget was approved by .
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For months, Christie had voiced anger at BOE members for approving Seitz's contract in November, after Christie announced plans for an administrative salary cap of $175,000 in districts the size of Parsippany.
In the budget, Seitz's $220,000 salary for the 2010-2011 school year was reduced to $204,125 in a line item. The district budget had factored in a 15 percent merit increase and a $2,500 hike that administrators could receive if their district had a high school. Both increases are allowed under state guidelines.
Find out what's happening in Parsippanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
However, in a letter also dated Thursday to Board President Anthony Mancuso, Serafino revised the district's budget, reducing the superintendent's salary line item by $2,462 for the additional amount paid to Seitz since December under the unapproved contract of $216,240.
Board member Robert Crawford, who has made to have the contract rescinded, said he won't ask again. "That was a requirement of the budget being approved, and it appears that's no longer a requirement,'' said Crawford.
He said he won't be at tonight's meeting because he has to attend a funeral service for a friend.
Crawford said the budget was a sound one, and urged voters not to defeat it merely because they were angry with the Seitz contract. "I encourage them to express that anger in the school board elections,'' said Crawford, who is not seeking reelection this year beause he's running for township council.
But he was still outraged at how Seitz's contract was approved. "LeRoy Setiz held a gun to the board's head. (Board President) Anthony Mancuso pulled the trigger and it was the residents of Parsippany that got hit.''
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