Dr. Gallon is Welcomed

After the school board meeting Monday where his revised contract was approved by the Board of Education, Dr. Steve Gallon III addressed about 100 people who attended a "meet and greet" event in the Plainfield High School cafeteria.

Gallon takes office today (July 1, 2008) for a four-year term.

Plaintalker had to zip out to attend a City Council meeting a few blocks away and missed the "meet and greet," but terms of the superintendent contract were available online earlier on the blog.

Attorney Raymond Hamlin explained aspects of the deal, which was revised slightly to gain approval of Executive County Superintendent Carmen Centuolo. One refinement was to limit annual raises to no more than 4 percent. Hamlin detailed several other small points, such as limitations on travel expenses as required by the 2007 School District Accountability Act. He said that he hoped the state would come up with a "boilerplate" contract for school superintendents.

Hamlin said Gallon's contract was made public "in the spirit of transparency" in the wake of a controversy over a $750,000 buyout proposed for a Keansburg superintendent. The proposal led to a statewide probe of superintendents' salaries and benefits.

The only other item on Monday's school board agenda, approval of a contract with the Plainfield Association of School Administrators, was pulled without explanation.

The brief meeting and the "meet-and-greet" session were videotaped for display on the city's local cable Channel 74, but no timetable was available Monday.

--Bernice Paglia