COMMUNITY VOICE: A Pattern of Behavior for Perth Amboy Board of Education

There have been many occasions that I thought called for attention to an ever prevailing pattern of behavior for Perth Amboy Board of Education but now as the district’s Affirmative Action Officer and Human Resource Manager  I think it requires immediate attention from the Department of Education as well as the Division of Civil Rights/EEOC.

First there is a caveat.  It is not my intention to degrade the employees of the Perth Amboy school district. It is not them that have created this hostile environment yet it is those that actively run the district that are at focus for this correspondence.(The Board of Education and the Interim Superintendent Dr Vivian Rodriguez) No one  named in this correspondence provided any form of information to me. These are my words and opinions only.

In July of 2011 the district hired Dr Janine Caffrey as Superintendent. Over the next few months there were several disagreements that arose between Dr Caffrey and the Perth Amboy Board of Education. I cannot attest to the validity of all of the issues however one issue that she focused on was the Board’s need to be actively involved with the hiring process of the district. The Board members would frequently chose to hire an individual of Hispanic descent without regard to qualifications or experience. This is a topic I can attest to.

Throughout my employment  at Perth Amboy there have been several instances where I was asked by Board members if prospective candidates spoke the Spanish language so that could be a determinant of employment, or  if individuals that were job offered  resided in Perth Amboy (a township that is 78 percent Hispanic). In the latter case I had to write justification as to why individuals that resided outside the confines of Perth Amboy were job offered. Even I was advised by a Board member that it was imperative that I learn the Spanish language and that it would be beneficial working in a district such as Perth Amboy.

The last three examples might seem innocent to some yet they are discriminatory. What’s even worse is that these practices spill over into the Board and the Interim Superintendent’s treatment of administration. Once Dr Caffrey began to make the public aware of these allegations she was placed on administrative leave several times. She was ultimately placed on leave with a vote to nonrenew as of June 30, 2014. Unfortunately many of the employees that the Board consider to be expendable because they are not of Hispanic decent are systematically being purged from the district.

Although I have received exemplary evaluations throughout my employment, my Interim Superintendent along with the Board now sees fit to abolish my job description and terminate my employment. They would like the individual running the Human Resources Department to have a principal certification. But why??? This was determined only after I challenged a Board member during an interview about a Hispanic candidate that I thought did not fit the criteria for an administrative position.

After that same interviewing session I was told by the Interim Superintendent to no longer provide feedback during interviews. Instead of actively participating in interviews I was instructed to introduce the candidate and serve water. It was shameful that my position as HR Manager had been demoralized just for expressing my opinion of a Hispanic candidate.

Recently at the June 19th Board meeting the Board voted to non- renew the Transportation Manager Edmund Treadaway, no reason was provided. He too had good evaluations.  This is the third non-renewal of an administrator in the last seven months. It just so happened that it occurred with all non-hispanic employees in a district that is 73 percent Hispanic.

As of July 1st the Perth Amboy Board of Education will have three very critical administrative positions vacant. (a permanent Superintendent, a Director of Personnel and a Manager of Transportation) and there would have been more if it were not for some administrators having tenure. They also were not of Hispanic descent.

The Perth Amboy Board of Education is very smug in their blatant disregard for Civil Rights and EEOC laws. Many administrators are aware but are in fear of saying anything. I too felt the same way but feel that it is an injustice not to say something at this point. When will enough be enough for the Perth Amboy Board of Education? When will the Board as well as the Interim Superintendent focus on the disturbing 58 percent high school graduation rate and a faltering literacy rate of 1st through 3rd graders?

It is a sad case when a Board of Education’s top priority is controlling who and how individuals are hired with no regard for federal and state laws. Their main focus should be the students that are obviously falling to the wayside. When will a higher authority intervene for the sake of the students and to protect the rights of non-Hispanic employees?

– Bernice Marshall

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