Police Called to Sea Isle School Board Meeting

SEA ISLE CITY — Tempers flared and police were called here June 23 to a special meeting of the board of education after citizen questions about the future of the school remained unanswered.
The town is split over whether to keep its small school open or not, which has led to overflowing emotions between citizens and the board in recent months.
According to board President Thomas Szczurek, police were called after a board member was verbally abused by an upset parent.
“After adjournment I was walking out through the school hallways with another board member close behind me and I heard person running up and verbally abusing a fellow board member right in her face,” Szczurek said. “I led her back into the meeting room and the police were called.”
No arrests were made that night, Szczurek said, but he was concerned about the safety of the board member.
Andy Ferrilli, who has three children in the school, told the Herald that he was the parent in question.
He said he was upset because the board would not answer his questions.
“I have kids in first, fifth and seventh grades and this was their best year ever,” Ferrilli said. “It’s frustrating that the board won’t answer my questions about the future of the school.”
According to concerned parent Tara Crowell-Kutschera, the board ran its meeting like a “kangaroo court” denying due process in the name of expediency.
“Around 80 people were stuffed into a crowded library instead of the gym where there’s more room,” she said. “Then the public comment portion of the meeting was limited to 30 minutes and each person was only given 30 seconds to speak. They used a kitchen egg timer to keep track.”
Crowell-Kutschera said board members repeatedly replied to questions with, “We’re not going to answer that at this time.”
On April 15, voters in this resort town elected a group of school board candidates that ran on a platform of closing the less than 80-pupil school in favor of sending children to Ocean City schools, or the “Best for Sea Isle Kids” campaign. The slate included Daniel Tumolo, Ellen Ramsey, Barbara Drew and Valerie Egnasko.
The group noted that Sea Isle’s small student population has led to one of highest per-student price tags in the state of over $35,000 and the school building is in need of $2 million in repairs, but more importantly they said the Ocean City schools, which Sea Isle high school students already attend, could offer the children a better academic, social and extracurricular environment.
Crowell-Kutschera ran unsuccessfully with an opposing group that wants to keep the small community school open. Her running mates included Joseph LaRosa and incumbent board members Steven Zellers and Matthew McCallum who served as president and vice president respectively.
Last May, the board voted 6-3 to keep the school open with Szczurek, Ramsey and Mike McHale, now a city councilman, dissenting.
Attorney and former board president Ellen Byrne agreed that the way the board ran the meeting was “disappointing.” Byrne said board members were acting disrespectful to the public by passing notes and giggling.
“It’s a shame because even though it’s a nice town Sea Isle gets a bad rap,” she said. “People with differing views should be able to get together at a public meeting and speak calmly and respectfully about issues that are important to the future of the town.”
She said that didn’t happen at last week’s school board meeting.
McCallum, who also has children in the school, told the Herald that when he served on the board, public comment was not limited.
“We didn’t time people’s responses and tried to answer any questions we received,” he said.
The former board vice president said he understands the difference of opinion having wrestled with the school closing issue himself last year, but in the end decided the school should remain open.
“Sending our kids to Ocean City might be a good idea, but it won’t work, at least for now,” McCallum said of state regulations that require both parties to accept a merger of this type. “The Ocean City district contacted our board to let them know it would not accept the tenured teachers and therefore was not interested in extending the send/receive relationship with Sea Isle.”
McCallum also pointed out that while the per-pupil cost here is high, the $3.2 million tax levy is actually at or near the state mandated minimum. He also said the school’s 6.5-cent tax rate is lower than other local expenses.
“Our water bills are higher,” he said. “So it costs more to flush our toilets than to educate our children.”
McCallum is concerned that some board members are putting to high a priority on saving taxpayers money.
“Nowhere in the board members’ ethics code does it mention saving tax dollars,” he said. “The primary function of board is to ensure students get a good education.”
Szczurek said the cost saving measures the board is seeking would be for the betterment of the students and their education.
The only formal actions taken at the June 23 meeting were to appoint two interim administrators – Michael Schreiner as the Chief School Administrator and James Thompson as Curriculum Coordinator. Szczurek said both were extremely qualified and will be great assets to the school.
They replaced recently fired administrators Stephen Derkoski and Anne Borger, who were popular with many parents, which also led to contention at the meeting.
Ferrilli said they were fired because they wouldn’t go along with the board’s plan to cut staff and reduce costs.
Szczurek said Derkoski told the board at a previous meeting that before any staff cuts were considered, the board should cut him first and they did.
The next board meeting is scheduled for July 15 at 6 p.m. in the school building at 4501 Park Road.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com