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Former employee alleges termination without board approval; board cites legal limits on public discussion
Summary
A former Gloucester Township Schools employee, Dorothy Hope Delaio, told the board she was terminated Nov. 6, 2024, and said the dismissal left her short of contract-based lifetime benefits; the chair and solicitor said personnel matters cannot be discussed publicly and pointed her to administrative channels.
During public comment at the Gloucester Township Board of Education meeting, Dorothy Hope Delaio, who identified herself as a former district employee of 37 years, said she was terminated on Nov. 6, 2024, and asserted her termination was not brought before the board and left her five months short of a contractual threshold for lifetime benefits.
"I was terminated by Mister Bilodeau on 11/06/2024," Delaio said, asking whether her termination had been presented to the board and how many other employees had been released. She told the board she paid substantial property taxes and said losing five months of contracted time cost her eligibility for certain lifetime benefits. She also said the COBRA/WEX monthly cost offered to her is about $1,200.
The chair and the solicitor declined to discuss the substance of personnel actions in the public meeting. The chair told Delaio that the board "cannot discuss other people's employment" in public and suggested Delaio could follow up with the appropriate administrators. The solicitor said those questions were best addressed to Mr. Long when he is available and cautioned that employment matters are not appropriate for public debate in this forum.
Delaio said she wanted an approximate count of how many other employees had been released, not names; board officials again replied that they could not provide that information in open session and recommended a private follow-up with district officials who can address personnel records and legal limits.
The meeting allowed Delaio to complete her allotted time and the chair reiterated the district's legal constraints on public discussion of personnel matters before moving on to other public comments.
