BECK, O’SCANLON, CASAGRANDE ASK LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP TO POST BILLS ADDRESSING PAY, REIMBURSEMENT FOR ADVANCED DEGREES

12th District Legislators Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande today sent a letter to Senate President Richard Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts asking them to immediately post a bill they are sponsoring- which would prohibit school employees from receiving salary increases for obtaining advanced degrees from institutions which are unaccredited by an agency accepted by the U.S. Department of Education, or being reimbursed for tuition from an unaccredited institution- when the Legislature reconvenes for the fall session.

The letter reads, in part: “For more than a month now, we have been dealing with the revelations that a superintendent in our district attended an unaccredited online university, for which he was reimbursed and awarded a small raise. We agree with Senator Codey’s recent comments that returning the salary increase and the tuition would be the prudent course of action for the superintendent. However, according to the Office of Legislative Services, there is no current law which requires him to do so, which makes our legislation all the more necessary.”

Please see attached for the full copy of both letters.

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September 2, 2008

The Honorable Joseph Roberts

Brooklawn Shopping Plaza
Route 130 & Browning Rd.
Brooklawn, NJ 08030

Dear Speaker Roberts,

We are writing to respectfully request that when the Legislature returns in September, you post legislation we are co-sponsoring with Assembly members Mary Pat Angelini and David Rible which would prevent local boards of education from reimbursing an employee, or giving raises to an employee, based on degrees from institutions of higher learning which are not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

For more than a month now, we have been dealing with the revelations that a superintendent in our district attended an unaccredited online university, for which he was reimbursed and awarded a small raise. We agree with Senator Codey's recent comments that returning the salary increase and the tuition would be the prudent course of action for the superintendent. However, according to the Office of Legislative Services, there is no current law which requires him to do so, which makes our legislation all the more necessary.

In addition to our bill, Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan recently announced he is drafting a bill that would require school districts to use a state-developed template for administrative contracts, and would require state Department of Education approval for deviations from that standardized language. We strongly support this bill and ask that you support it as well.

The public is outraged, and rightly so, at what they see as another public official gaming the system.  We request the posting of the bills addressing this issue and urge you to make the enactment of meaningful reform in this legislative area a top priority upon the return of the Legislature in September. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Beck  

Senator, District 12

Declan O’Scanlon 

Assemblyman, District 12

Caroline Casagrande

Assemblywoman, District 12

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   September 2, 2008 

The Honorable Richard Codey

449 Mount Pleasant Ave.

West Orange, NJ 07052  

Dear Senate President Codey:

We are writing to respectfully request that when the Legislature returns in September, you post legislation we are co-sponsoring with Assembly members Mary Pat Angelini and David Rible which would prevent local boards of education from reimbursing an employee, or giving raises to an employee, based on degrees from institutions of higher learning which are not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

For more than a month now, we have been dealing with the revelations that a superintendent in our district attended an unaccredited online university, for which he was reimbursed and awarded a small raise. We agree with you recent comments that returning the salary increase and the tuition would be the prudent course of action for the superintendent. However, according to the Office of Legislative Services, there is no current law which requires him to do so, which makes our legislation all the more necessary.

In addition to our bill, Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan recently announced he is drafting a bill that would require school districts to use a state-developed template for administrative contracts, and would require state Department of Education approval for deviations from that standardized language. We strongly support this bill and ask that you support it as well.

The public is outraged, and rightly so, at what they see as another public official gaming the system.  We request the posting of the bills addressing this issue and urge you to make the enactment of meaningful reform in this legislative area a top priority upon the return of the Legislature in September. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Beck 

Senator, District 12

Declan O’Scanlon 

Assemblyman, District 12

Caroline Casagrande

Assemblywoman, District 12