Board approves curriculum and finance items; adds resolution to eliminate assistant-superintendent post effective June 30

At its regular public meeting the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education approved several agenda motions and recorded roll-call votes on curriculum, personnel and finance items.

Key outcomes at a glance: - Curriculum and technology: The board approved items a through f under curriculum and technology by roll call. The vote was recorded as five "yes" votes. (Board members recorded on the roll call: Miss Demartini; Miss Landolfi Jefferson; Miss Mack; Mr. Diambola; Miss Grosso.)

- Finance/facilities and bids: The board approved items under finance and facilities, which included a motion related to rejecting all bids received for Phase 2 of the Grover Cleveland Middle School auditorium renovation. District officials said the two bids received were significantly higher than anticipated and exceeded the district’s budget estimates; the board rejected the bids and intends to revisit the work at a later date when market conditions change.

- Assistant superintendent position eliminated: The board added and approved a resolution under finance to "eliminate the position of assistant superintendent for reasons of economy and change in administrative organization of the district effective 06/30/2025 in accordance with NJSA 18A:28-9." The roll call was five "yes" votes and the motion carried. Board members said the decision reflects a multi-year projection of personnel and benefit costs and the district’s combination of curriculum leadership roles into two director positions.

Why it matters: The personnel change dissolves a board-established position; under board practice a dissolved position must be reoffered to the prior position-holder if reestablished in a statutory window (the district stated that the reoffer period is typically measured in years). Officials framed the decision as a budgetary measure aimed at protecting classroom positions and core instructional programs from deeper cuts in the future.

Details and context: Board members described the current district structure as having two directors of curriculum and instruction (elementary and secondary) who will continue to lead programmatic work. The board said the superintendent should provide direct instructional leadership and that the interim superintendent, Dr. Lydia Furnari, has relevant curriculum expertise. During public comment residents asked for clarification and expressed concerns about continuity and program impacts.

Votes: The recorded votes on the main motions in the meeting were unanimous among voting members present (5–0) on the motions called during the public session. The meeting also included approval of meeting minutes earlier in the agenda and other routine items by recorded roll call.

Next steps: The board said districts administrators will notify stakeholders as required and that any future decisions to reestablish the assistant superintendent post would follow applicable statutes and rehire procedures. The district also said it will continue to solicit bids for the auditorium project at future dates when market conditions permit and will publish timelines and finance information as available.