Residents press Wall Township board on superintendent search, health benefits and school heating

Several residents used public comment at the Wall Township Board of Education meeting on Dec. 16 to press the district for transparency on hiring and benefit costs and to report ongoing building issues.

Betsy Cross, a resident, said the district’s health benefits analysis has not been publicly available and criticized the broker Brown & Brown. She called attention to specific stop‑loss contract terms printed in materials: "a deductible per person of a 125,000, and it's in a cap of 2,000,000," and asked the board to explain the referenced referendum adjustment of about $820,000. She also criticized wording in the superintendent search posting that lists certain prior positions as "preferred," urging the board to avoid language that narrows applicants.

Leah Bibby reported facility problems at Central School, saying her son's second‑floor classroom "is like a icebox" and that janitorial staff had been draining water from the ceiling into containers in the library while children walked by, requesting the district follow up on repairs.

At the meeting, a caller later identified as Betsy Carras questioned why some personnel changes had not been announced and asked which community members (she named Jeff Janarone) were part of the superintendent search stakeholder group. The board president responded that the superintendent search materials and stakeholder information are available on the district website.

Board members acknowledged the public input and pointed attendees to the district's online superintendent search link for details. The transcript records no new policy decisions at the meeting addressing the specific benefit figures or a scheduled facilities repair timeline; those actions were suggested as follow‑ups rather than settled outcomes.