Vineland BOE balks at superintendent's plan to transfer several school leaders

VINELAND – Vineland Public Schools superintendent Alfonso Llano Jr. is focusing on a plan B after school board members voted down four of his five school leadership changes for the 2022-23 school year.

The round-robin proposal, affecting five schools, called for:

• Assistant principal Justin Adams - from Vineland High to Wallace Intermediate, filling the vacancy left by Michael Sullivan’s retirement

• Assistant principal Dorothy Burke – from Veterans Memorial to Vineland High to replace Kimberly Rivera.

• Principal Jeffrey DuBois – from Sabater Elementary to Veterans Memorial to replace Hope Johnson.

• Principal Johnson – from Veterans Memorial to Johnstone.

• Assistant principal Rivera – from Vineland High School to Veterans Memorial to replace Burke.

By a 5-4 vote, Johnson was the lone authorized transfer, effective July 1.

Both the superintendent and several board members said they were united in doing what was in the best interest of students. They just didn't see eye-to-eye on how to proceed.

After a closed session stretching past an hour and public comments, voting was chaotic on Wednesday. Several confused board members called for clarifications and with the approval of their solicitor, they scrapped a vote midway in favor of a start over.

Board members Nick Fiocchi, John Sbrana, board vice president Kim Codispoti, and board president Meghan Spinelli opposed all the superintendent’s transfer requests. Others split their votes.

“Tonight, I’ve never been more ashamed to sit up here because of what I see as micromanagement and frankly, we just all look crazy up here tonight to the public,” said board member Cedric Holmes, the only supporter of the superintendent’s plan.

Holmes voiced frustration telling his colleagues “you pay these people six figures a piece to make those decisions.”

“They do the evaluations, we don’t. They know what happens on a day-to-day basis in every single one of our schools,” he said. “If we are not going to trust them …and you are going to try to do the job for free, I don’t know what to tell you.”

It is not unusual for a district superintendent to shuffle school leadership. When asked why the board balked at much of the superintendent’s proposal, Spinelli declined to comment citing personnel matters.

“When I am able to comment, I definitely will,” she added.

Llano, entering the second year of his five-year contract, told the board “a lot of time and energy” went into the administrative transfer plan.

But he was ready to move forward.

“Tomorrow, we will adjust, we will continue, we will still do what's right for kids despite the obstacles that are presented because that's what we are here to do,” the superintendent said. "Thank you for your support."

During the public session, a handful of students and several VHS staffers asked the board to keep Rivera at their school.

“I know that there are probably things behind the scenes that we don’t know about,” said VHS teacher Lindsay Thies. “I have been here for 11 years, I’ve seen every year, there is a movement in vice principals, I don’t know why that it is.”

The personnel shifts may work as a business model, she said.

“We are not a business, we take care of children,” Thies said. “We really need to be there for them.”

Burke, the only transfer candidate to take the podium, requested to stay at Veterans Memorial rather than return to her previous position at VHS.

“It was challenge at first, because I had to change my approach in order to connect to the middle school students,” said Burke, who was transferred to the school seven years ago. “I know I’ve found the level where I best fit.”

Llano told the board to expect recommendations for hires and/or transfers on future agendas as he prepares the district for new school year.

The district posted vacancies for an elementary assistant principal and an intermediate school principal.

Debra Quinn, Wallace Intermediate School principal, has submitted her retirement effective July 1.

Deborah M. Marko covers breaking news, public safety, and education for The Daily Journal, Courier-Post and Burlington County Times. Got a story idea? Call 856-563-5256 or email dmarko@gannettnj.com. Follow on Twitter: @dmarko_dj Instagram: deb.marko.dj Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: School leadership transfers scrapped by Vineland school board