Just four months after the schools superintendent resigned, the president of the Guttenberg Board of Education followed suit last week because he is moving out of town. Gabino “Gabe” Hernandez resigned as the president of the Guttenberg Board of Education, stating in a letter that he was relocating from the area. Hernandez’ resignation comes on the heels of the abrupt resignation of the township’s Superintendent of Schools, Frank Alfano, who stepped down in April without giving prior notice. Hernandez leaves at a very inopportune time for the township’s school district. It has been operating under the auspices of an interim schools chief, Richard Rice, who was hired on an emergency per-diem basis when Alfano left in April. The Board of Education had been conducting an extensive search to find a permanent replacement for Alfano, establishing a provision to keep Rice, a retired Bergen County schools administrator, in place until a permanent replacement is found. Rice said that the resignation of Hernandez and that of Alfano are not related in any way. “There is no connection whatsoever,” Rice said. “It just happened to be coincidental. Gabe and his family are relocating, so the timing was incidental.” Rice said that he took the position with the idea that a permanent replacement would be hired by Sept. 10. “They knew that they had to recruit the most qualified candidate in a timely matter and the board has been very faithful to live up to that promise,” said Rice, who could remain on until October, but cannot take the position himself. “The board has treated this [the hiring of a permanent replacement] as the No. 1 priority and it is working on fulfilling that commitment.” Rice said that the resignation of Hernandez should not hurt the interview process. “The board is moving in a very positive direction,” Rice said. “It will stay the course that Gabe Hernandez provided the leadership for. The Board has a good team orientation under his leadership and has become very effective, with very clear goals and objectives. Gabe’s resignation doesn’t delay anything.” However, the people who inherit both the superintendent’s position and the Board of Education President’s slot will be walking into a trying, ongoing dilemma. For the last two years, the Board of Education has been searching for ways to offset the burgeoning school population in the township’s lone elementary school, Anna L. Klein School. A plan was adopted by both the Board of Education and the township council to build an extension to the school, by purchasing the land adjacent to the school that used to be an embroidery factory and by building a three-story addition to the school on the site. However, those plans have come on some tough times over the last few months in several areas. There have been several construction and architectural woes, stemming from a contractor who does not want to abide with the initial plans, as well as construction that has affected the lives of some neighboring residents, including Guttenberg councilman David Delle Donna. Delle Donna had his entire backyard removed in order to build a retaining wall to begin the extension project, but it took nearly eight months for contractors to finish the wall and return Delle Donna’s yard to its original state. Now comes the realization that the initial plans may not be large enough to house the ever-growing enrollment after all. The Board of Education has been reviewing the initial plans to see if they fit the long-term projected needs. In reality, the township could very well need another school, which could really cause some serious concerns in the township. Without a full-time superintendent and now, without a Board of Education president in place, the township could be headed for some troubled waters. “I don’t foresee any problems,” Rice said. “I think everything will be fine.” Hernandez, who was unavailable for comment and failed to return several phone calls by press time, sent a letter to the local media to announce the resignation. “I am sad to say that I am resigning as president of the Guttenberg Board of Education because I am relocating to another town,” Hernandez wrote. “But as I leave this position, I am confident that our children are well provided for in the future, due to the continued efforts of our assemblyman, Rudy Garcia.” Hernandez credited Garcia, the embattled mayor of Union City, with “consistently providing funds for our children to have new facilities and programs.” Hernandez stated that the township was able to cut the tax levy by $1.5 million since 1994 while establishing a wealth of programs for the students, like after-school music program and a multi-media center. “I leave my position confident that he [Garcia] will continue to work hard for the children and taxpayers of this town and the county in the years to come,” Hernandez concluded. In the meantime, Guttenberg is taking applications from anyone interested in becoming the Board of Education president. Applicants must have been a resident of Guttenberg for one year and be registered to vote in Guttenberg. Candidates are asked to send resumes and letters of interest to the Guttenberg Board of Education, 301 69th Street, Guttenberg, NJ 07093, c/o Jolene Mantineo, the Board Secretary and Business Administator.
School board president resigns; Citing a move from the district, Hernandez leaves Board of Ed.
