Ouster of NJ schools leader likened to 'David versus Goliath'
PROSPECT PARK — The Board of Education has appointed an acting superintendent to replace the embattled schools chief put on administrative leave through a late-night text message.
Nearly 175 people tuned in to an online meeting on March 27 as trustees passed a series of resolutions to ratify the controversial change.
Hector Montes was placed on leave, with pay and without prejudice, through June 30, while Catherine D’Arrigo, the director of special education for the school district, will step in as the new superintendent — in addition to her current job — until that date. The resolution to promote her did not include extra compensation.
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D’Arrigo, 50, has worked for the district in various leadership roles for 18 years. She said her priority is to ensure that students have a safe learning environment.
“I recognize that this is an unsettling time,” D’Arrigo said at the special meeting, “but we have great people in the right positions.”
The online meeting was held after weeks of unrest in the district, which has lacked steady command since the retirement of Superintendent Allison Angermeyer four years ago.
Parents who spoke at the online meeting expressed support for Montes. Many said they were bothered by the constant volatility and worried how it would affect their children.
Krystle Benitez-Belardo, the PTO president, said Montes was friendly and forthcoming in their interactions. “I stand with Mr. Montes, and I will continue to stand with him and fight for him,” she said. “What’s being done is not OK.”
Another mother who questioned the change apologized to Montes for a harsh email she said she sent to him this school year. She realized that whatever happened was probably not his fault, she said. “They say the fish rots from the head,” she said. “Mr. Montes isn’t the head.”
Montes, 57, was hired last spring to be the superintendent plus the principal of the elementary school on Brown Avenue. He is paid an annual salary of $195,000. The longtime educator has been outspoken against the school board, its attorney and municipal officials, calling out the borough for meddling in district matters.
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Given a chance to talk at the online meeting, Montes again vowed to protect the independence of the school system.
“I didn’t come here to be silent,” Montes said. “I came here to lead. This is David versus Goliath, and like David, I lean on God. The question isn’t whether I’ve done my job — the question is whether we’re all willing to do ours.”
The falling-out between Montes and the school board reached a climax on March 24 as he raised concerns at a heated meeting at the municipal building.
Not long after it ended, Montes said he received a text message from Albert Buglione, the school board attorney, to tell him that he was placed on leave. His attorney challenged the legitimacy of that decision in a letter sent the next day the state Office of the Attorney General.
Mayor Mohamed Khairullah tried to calm parents at the online meeting, blaming “hysteria on social media” for stoking the panic. “There’s always two sides of the story,” he said. “Elected officials are always on the losing end because they can’t speak outside of the boundaries of certain laws. Anyone who wants to take advantage of an unfortunate situation will do so.”
Later, school board President Ariosto Rodriguez conveyed a similar message. “A lot of parents don’t know what’s going on,” he said, “but the truth will come out. Our community deserves facts — not fear.”
Trustees passed five resolutions related to the superintendent position at the online meeting. The first states that the move to place Montes on leave was done on a non-disciplinary basis — strictly to “permit orderly review.”
It states that no violation of the New Jersey sunshine law occurred by putting the superintendent on leave in a text message because there was no collective deliberation of the school board. It states that the interim measure was done to “stabilize district operations in response to emergent circumstances.”
Assertions by Montes that the district is on the brink of financial ruin and subject to an imminent takeover by the state Department of Education are “not factually supported,” Buglione said. Formal actions completed at the online meeting establish that trustees acted with full legal authority, he added.
Montes was banned from district property for the term of the administrative leave and told to refrain from communication with staff.
Philip DeVencentis is a reporter for NorthJersey.com. For access to the most important news in your community, subscribe or activate your digital account.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ouster of NJ schools leader likened to 'David versus Goliath'
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