BOE To Fill Vacancy, Discuss $1.9 Million Error
The Plainfield Board of Education will meet Tuesday (Jan. 24, 2006) to vote on filling a board vacancy and to discuss a $1.865 million budget discrepancy.
The meeting will be 8 p.m. at Plainfield High School, 950 Park Ave.
The vacancy came about when board member Sharon Robinson-Briggs took office Jan. 1, 2006 as the city’s first female African-American mayor. The interim appointee will serve until the April 18, 2006 election.
The budget matter is a $1.865 shortfall due to failure to include a new charter school in the 2005-06 budget. During a time of administration transitions in early 2005, the funding for the school was left out of the budget. The school, Union County TEAMS, has received all its payments on time, but to correct the mistake, the board agreed in November to put $1 million in surplus funds toward the deficit and find ways to come up with the $865,000 balance.
The district must pay 90 percent of the cost of running a charter school, which is considered a public school. Presently, Union County TEAMS and Queen City Academy receive such funding. In September 2006, Central Jersey Arts Charter School will become the third one operating in the city with an anticipated enrollment of 248 students.
Regarding the vacancy, three residents met a 4 p.m. deadline Friday (Jan. 20, 2006) to apply for the seat.
The candidates are Rasheed Abdul-Haqq of 219 Lee Place, David Graves of 949 West Eighth Street and Reno Wilkins of 20 Randolph Road.
Abdul-Haqq was hospitalized Friday, recovering from knee surgery. He said he had submitted the required written statement on why he wants to serve on the school board, but he was not sure he could attend the Tuesday meeting.
He said both his daughter and his late son were Plainfield High School graduates and he had devoted 10 to 15 years to participation in parent or community groups to improve education.
“I’ve been intensively involved,“ he said.
Abdul-Haqq said he has also filed for the Feb. 27, 2006 deadline to run for one of three three-year seats on the board.
Graves, a city inspector and former Board of Adjustment chairman and member, said he has run for the board twice previously and has children at Hubbard Middle School and in the Plainfield High School 9th grade academy.
He said he attends “practically every meeting” of the board and has taken both district and state parent training.
Describing himself as a “highly active community member,” Graves said he is still deciding whether to file for the three-year term.
Wilkins did not return calls for comment.
Visit the New Jersey School Boards Association at http://www.njsba.org/
for more information on serving as a school board member.
A legal notice for the Tuesday meeting also noted action will be taken on workman's compensation issues.
The meeting will be 8 p.m. at Plainfield High School, 950 Park Ave.
The vacancy came about when board member Sharon Robinson-Briggs took office Jan. 1, 2006 as the city’s first female African-American mayor. The interim appointee will serve until the April 18, 2006 election.
The budget matter is a $1.865 shortfall due to failure to include a new charter school in the 2005-06 budget. During a time of administration transitions in early 2005, the funding for the school was left out of the budget. The school, Union County TEAMS, has received all its payments on time, but to correct the mistake, the board agreed in November to put $1 million in surplus funds toward the deficit and find ways to come up with the $865,000 balance.
The district must pay 90 percent of the cost of running a charter school, which is considered a public school. Presently, Union County TEAMS and Queen City Academy receive such funding. In September 2006, Central Jersey Arts Charter School will become the third one operating in the city with an anticipated enrollment of 248 students.
Regarding the vacancy, three residents met a 4 p.m. deadline Friday (Jan. 20, 2006) to apply for the seat.
The candidates are Rasheed Abdul-Haqq of 219 Lee Place, David Graves of 949 West Eighth Street and Reno Wilkins of 20 Randolph Road.
Abdul-Haqq was hospitalized Friday, recovering from knee surgery. He said he had submitted the required written statement on why he wants to serve on the school board, but he was not sure he could attend the Tuesday meeting.
He said both his daughter and his late son were Plainfield High School graduates and he had devoted 10 to 15 years to participation in parent or community groups to improve education.
“I’ve been intensively involved,“ he said.
Abdul-Haqq said he has also filed for the Feb. 27, 2006 deadline to run for one of three three-year seats on the board.
Graves, a city inspector and former Board of Adjustment chairman and member, said he has run for the board twice previously and has children at Hubbard Middle School and in the Plainfield High School 9th grade academy.
He said he attends “practically every meeting” of the board and has taken both district and state parent training.
Describing himself as a “highly active community member,” Graves said he is still deciding whether to file for the three-year term.
Wilkins did not return calls for comment.
Visit the New Jersey School Boards Association at http://www.njsba.org/
for more information on serving as a school board member.
A legal notice for the Tuesday meeting also noted action will be taken on workman's compensation issues.
--Bernice Paglia
KEYWORDS: BOE, School budget
posted by Bernice at 8:57 PM
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