Bloomfield: Special Ed Chief's "Special" Resume

"it is not important to him what title she put on her resume."

Actually it is very important! Its' called integrity! And it should be the first thing we are teaching kids!

He should be fired for saying those few words and she should be fired for a creative resume. Thats what would happen in the real world.

Can anyone explain what a "special services director" is exactly and how it may differ from the duties of "assistant principal and child study team coordinator"?

Can anyone explain what a "special services director" is exactly and how it may differ from the duties of "assistant principal and child study team coordinator"?

I would, Pete, but I just can't seem to find the words.

Generally, a director of special services would have responsibility for hiring and evaluating special services personnel -- like physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists, and special ed teachers. He/she would oversee federal and state special ed programs and would monitor compliance, and would write grants for the district. He/she would budget for the department and would allocate that money.
It is actually a very important position in a district, especially a good sized one like Bloomfield, with a lot of responsibility. All the more reason why the person in that position should have the proper credentials and background to do the job. I don't know whether this person did or didn't have the right stuff, but fudging the resume does not inspire a lot of confidence.
Did she also land under fire in Kosovo?

Our hard earned tax dollars at work again. I'm glad the BOE thinks the taxpayers have deep pockets and are more than willing to have their taxes raised EVERY year.

No one bothered to call here former employer and verify her employment?

"special services personnel -- like physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, speech pathologists"

I read this and I am beyond flustered with the amount of wretched excess in the schools these days and how much of my tax dollars go to paying for it.

ackme, indications are that she was employed in Bloomfield, at another school. THEY are the former employers.
It may seem like excess, but you should bear in mind that the majority of these positions must be filled due to state and federal mandates, so while there is plenty to be mad about, everything isn't ALL the fault of the Bloomfield BOE.

Thanks cro. Some of the postings on the NJ.com Bloomfield forum also spell out the responsibilities for each position and it seems there is a significant difference between them, including certifications that are required.

I understand, buy I just think we keep adding more add-ons to the schools and what they are responsible for providing. Why should speech therapy/pathology, physical and occupational therapy, etc. be part of the taxpayer expenses?

Can these things not be the reponsibility of the parent to supply, if needed? Like psychotherapy and Huntington Learning Center tutoring?

Case in point, a friend of mine teaches 2nd grade. She has a selective mute kid in her class. The Bd. of Ed sent her to a special class (cha-ching) to learn how to understand selective mutes!
For 1 kid! A kid who can talk if he chooses to!

In all honesty, I am trying to depart from my usual snark to actually understand the reasoning behind this.

I guess this is part of the no child left behind.

not part of nclb. if you had a child in need, you'd want the services. by law, all kids are entitled to an education, and if needed, the extra help in order to get it. what's wrong in bloomfield and many other towns, is these jobs are all about "who you know" and not "what you know." very political. bloomfield's tax dollars are often wasted due to incompetence.

I too wonder exactly what this job position is for and if it is not redendant?

Does anyone ese see that the salary for this position is about 1/4 of what the BOE need for the Kindergarten program:

"The Bloomfield BOE hired Verni in August at an annual $121,814 salary." -Bloomfield Life.

School systems need to be held acountable for their spending on all levels. They also need to put the kids and classrooms first!

Maybe we need a tax revolt. Let's drag the members of the BOE up to Boston and shove them into the Harbor.

Baristanet, fast becoming as insignificant as the tabloid rag on which it slavishly piggy-backs in an attempt to drag in readers. It's almost as if you and Bloomfield's equivalent of Fox News are working in tandem. I believe both of you are blights on local news coverage, especially when issues of serious public policy are concerned.

"We're expecting the BOE will issue a statement, and will update this story later today." Isn't that special. We get to hear the other side sometime later in the day. Good grief, does anyone on your staff subscribe to the basic tenants of fairness, never mind journalism? This "news report" was available two days ago. No doubt, the administration's response will be characterized as "flustered and defensive." Small victory: at least you've stopped parroting erroneously that the audit found a budget deficit. But of course, that flat-out falsehood was never corrected in your original story.

It's amusing to me that the editors here seem to hold themselves and this site aloft as some kind of bastion of good taste and cleverness in a sea of crass, working class Joes. If your coverage of Bloomfield, relying as you do on a publication in whose future I see lawsuit, is the measure to judge you by, I think I'll keep my Trans-Am, my split-level ranch and my Schlitz beer.

And I'll send you a case of Old Milwaukee and a pink flamingo too!!

Let's here it for the working man!!!!

"only that school's assistant principal and child study team coordinator" - strange that in the world of public schools a senior administrator would not be qualified to coordinate or run a program (if there is no certification involved) that they oversaw. Of course, this is the problem with public schools, where mysterious bureaucrats run everything using rules that mere mortals do not ken, meeting standards that parents don't agree with.