The Board of Education voted 9-0 to offer a new three-year contract of state-appointed Superintendent of Schools Dr. Charles T. Epps Jr. last week, despite a parents’ group who said he should only get a one-year contract.
Epps became controversial in the last three years because he ran for Assembly office, and because of articles in a local daily newspaper detailing thousands of tax dollars he spent on a trip to London. But board members and a state representative praised the strides he has made in the Jersey City schools, including improving test scores enough to be nationally recognized.
Epps’ current contract expires on June 30, 2008 and under the contract he makes approximately $230,000.
But the vote does not mean that he is guaranteed a contract, as the board will have to enter negotiations with him, where it is expected they will attach benchmarks for him to meet.
There also may be a public hearing in November.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Epps said after the meeting, when asked to comment on the vote.Sign of more local control
When asked if he felt any “pressure” to improve his performance as superintendent and the performance of the school district, Epps said he didn’t, and was focused on one goal.
“I don’t feel any pressure, and I look forward to continuing the process and journey to go back to local control,” Epps said.
The school district was taken over by the state back in 1989, and is slowly returning to local control. In fact, the vote by the board means that the board is getting more power. The board was only recently given the go-ahead by State Superintendent Lucille Davy to have input on Epps’ future.
Davy had met with the board in Jersey City on Sept. 12 to discuss their role in Epps’ contract.
The nine-member board is currently elected and serves staggered three-year terms. They are board chairperson William DeRosa, vice chairperson Franklin L. Williams, and members Sue Mack, Gerald McCann, Anthony Cucci, Terry Dehere, Angel Valentin, Edward Cheatam and Dr. Peter Donnelly.
Board meetings usually take place on the third Thursday of the month, and are held at Public School 11 on Bergen Avenue. Behind closed doors
McCann during the meeting revealed that Davy had told the board at the Sept. 12 meeting that if left to her, she would give Epps another three-year contract.
Cucci said that during the closed portion of the board meeting, Davy told them, “I have been through the entire state and you’re not going to find anyone superior.”
After the meeting, Cheatam said Epps was doing “a great job” moving the school system forward. He said those in the public who are opposed to Epps receiving another contract can show their displeasure by voting out those serving on the board who are running for re- election next year.
Tearethea Sims, a longtime attendee of school board meetings, commended the board for opening the discussion to the public. She also would like to see Epps continue as superintendent.
“He has his ups and he has downs, but he has helped a lot of children,” Sims said. “Anytime I come to him with a problem, he helps me, or he points you to the right person.”
But Catherine Grimm, a longtime resident of the city, is not enthused with the idea of Epps possibly being hired for a few more years.
“I hope it’s not a three-year deal because he is not doing his job when it comes to a number of issues,” Grimm said. Who is Charles Epps?
Epps has been the superintendent of schools since 2000 and has worked in the Jersey City school system since 1967. During his time as superintendent, Epps has won accolades for his work in improving achievement gaps and test scores. These scores led to the district finishing as a finalist for the 2006 Broad Prize for Urban Education Awards, which are given to the top five most progressive school systems in the country for closing achievement gaps and improving test scores.
But Epps’ tenure has been marked by criticism of his lavish spending of school funds during a 2004 trip to England and a run for political office in 2005. He has also been criticized for 27 of 33 elementary schools having failing test scores.
A parents’ group called JC Families for Better Schools (JCFBS) has called for Epps to receive a one-year contract with renewal to be determined based on performance.
However, no JCFBS representatives were at Thursday’s school board meeting to speak about the board’s vote.
State law requires that a school board may appoint a superintendent for no less than years and no more than five years, with contracts to expire on July 1. Public hearing before final decision
But board member Mack, who has served on the board since 1995, said that the board should have been given more time to inform the public about their intentions.
“[Davy] is asking us to negotiate a contract that’s hers, not ours,” Mack said. “And the board felt it was in their interest we should move forward with this process.”
Mack said there will have to be a public hearing before the board can enter into any negotiations with Epps, with the public receiving 10 days’ notice. She expects the meeting to be held sometime in November.
This process follows guidelines set down by the state’s A5 Act, which provides for various school district accountability measures.
She said she not only welcomes the public hearing, but encourages the public to attend that meeting.
“We have to show that we care about public input,” Mack said. “I definitely want public input.” For comments on this story, contact Ricardo Kaulessar at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.