Fireside Chat: Questions from the Community | Part II

5. Can someone else take a mail-in to the Board of Elections?

a. I would suggest reading through the rules around “mail-in” ballots to avoid any impropriety or potentially illegal behavior.  There are VERY specific rules --  Check here.

6. How many likeminded people are on the board now? Who are they?

a. I think you need only to look through the minutes and review the votes cast and by whom, to know which members tend to vote similarly during resolution adoption.

7. Why would they go outside Plainfield District to hire when we have qualified educators right here that are from the community?

a. This is a very good question and one that would require understanding the administrator’s goal for hiring in general. There has been a lot of disturbing trends when it come to how our current CSA hires and certainly affords us more questions than answers. To the extent that the BOE only implements policies – I would suggest that we begin looking at how we can structure requirements around current district employees and 1st choice options.

8. Are the students still sharing books? So, how can they afford those salaries?

a. Yes, students are sharing books. I'll tell you a real life story.  My daughter's teacher emails me to tell me my daughter is falling behind on her reading/writing assignments.  Immediately, I ask my daughter what is going on, to which she responded that she has to wait for her friend to finish the reading section  because her book is missing pages 58 -112. 

Yes completely missing!  I made her show me and sure enough -- the book was tattered and missing these pages.  Of Course -- as is the mind of an 11 year trying to stall on the assignment -- she never told her teacher.  The point is my child made do at the risk of missing assignments until she could get the book from her friend to finish reading.  [JUST to CLARIFY -- her teacher IMMEDIATELY rectified the situation once she was advised of the circumstance.] I wonder just how many of our kids are just trying to make do with what we are providing them.  And to your second question -- well isn’t that the close to a MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION!

9. Was Dr. Gallon too ashamed of Plainfield to purchase his house here?

a. One could only speculate as to why Dr. Gallon chose not to purchase and/or rent in Plainfield. I think this would be a valid question to ask at a board meeting and I hope you will consider doing so.

10. Is it true that Borge and Kelly are using (Dr. Gallon’s) South Plainfield address for their children to attend South Plainfield Schools while their address is in Perth Amboy where they live?

a. It is rumored that this is the case although we have no evidence to substantiate this claim. I suggest paying attention to the South Plainfield Board of Education proceedings to see if there is any actions brought against these parties, anything other than that is pure speculation.