PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education dedicated the Board of Education building on Thursday, November 12. The building, which in a way is the heart of our District, was renamed in recognition of the man who gave so much of his heart to the children of Parsippany, Dr. Frank A. Calabria.

Board President Fran Orthwein welcomed the Calabria Family, past and current board members, Mayor James Barberio, Council Vice President Robert Peluso and members of the public.

Mrs. Orthwein stated “Dr. Frank A Calabria was a teacher, administrator, board member, mentor, colleague, and friend. His love of education was shared not only through his professional life, but also through his 41 years of service on the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education. During those 41 years, his commitment never wavered to the thousands of Parsippany children whose lives he enriched with his wisdom, experience, and leadership. Dr. Calabria’s belief that ‘If you make a decision in the best interest of children, you will never be wrong’, guided him and the many board members with whom he served without fail. Dr. Calabria knew that education is the key to success. One of his most frequently asked questions was ‘teach me something.’  He wholeheartedly believed you were never too old to learn something new. As a Board member, he loved to share his knowledge and experience with his colleagues, helping them to better serve our children. In honor of Dr. Calabria’s service to the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District, and to inspire others to embrace education in their lives, the Board of Education Building located at 292 Parsippany Road, shall be known henceforth as the:

Dr. Frank A. Calabria Education Center – or CEC
because we are so fond of using acronyms in education

Mr. Neglia and members of the Calabria Family then cut the ribbon.  Five year old Ryan Peterson had the honor of cutting the ribbon.

Brianne Partington, a student at Parsippany Hills High School lead the audience in “Salute to the Flag” then she song the “National Anthem.”

Acting Superintendent, Dr. Nancy Gigante delivered remarks to the audience.  She said “So many people could stand up here and talk about how Dr. Calabria touched their lives, both personally and professionally.  They could talk about what an upstanding citizen Dr. Calabria was, what an amazing family man Dr. Calabria was, what a compassionate educator Dr. Calabria was.  I am blessed to be one of those people.  I am honored to have called Dr. Calabria a mentor and a friend.  But most of all, I am honored to have called Dr. Calabria…Frank.  That’s who he really was.  He didn’t want or need any fancy titles.  He wouldn’t have needed to see his name in lights.  All he needed was to know that he was doing the right thing, which always seemed to come easy to Frank.  His wisdom, his stories, his insight were valuable to so many people in so many different ways.  But he never looked for the accolades for that.  He would be laughing and shaking his head at all of this pomp and circumstance.  And that’s what made Frank…Frank.  We all try to be the best people we can.  We try to do well in our jobs, love our families, and be good to our communities.  But to do it like Frank did…well, that is reserved for very few.  And those few deserve to see their names in lights as it were.  He deserves his name to be honored like it is now.  Frank was the principal of Sparta High School for a long time, and those here who knew him then will know what I mean when I say…it took a little more to be Frank Calabria.  And those of us left behind can only hope that this reminder—his name emblazoned on this building for years to come—will serve us well as we strive to be the best people we can be.  We miss you, Frank, and may God bless you.”

Former Board President Mrs. violet Schicke and then Mrs. Angela Calabria spoke on behalf of the Calabria family.

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PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education appointed Dr. LeRoy Seitz as interim superintendent.

Seitz was appointed effective December 1 through June 30, 2016, or sooner pending release from his current contract, at the rate of $682.00 per day, subject to the terms and conditions of his contract. (Click here to view contract).

Upon approving Dr. Seitz’s contract, the crowd full of teachers and parents, cheered loudly. Seitz is replacing Former Superintendent Scott Rixford, who took a 30-day medical leave of absence on September 4. Dr. Nancy Gigante has been acting Superintendent.

At the Board of Education meeting held on Thursday, September 24, 2015, the members of the Board of Education passed a resolution accepting the resignation of Scott Rixford, effective January 26, 2016.  The resolution states that it “Further approves the related agreement with Mr. Rixford in accordance with the terms and conditions therein, which the Board President is authorized on behalf of the Board.”

Board President Fran Orthwein stated “The Board of Education welcomes Dr. Seitz back to Parsippany. Dr. Seitz brings many years of experience as a Superintendent and proven leadership to our District. We look forward to working with him to serve the children of Parsippany.”

“I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Seitz while I was on the Board of Education he is an exceptional Superintendent. I’m very confident that he will get the school district back on track to perform at the highest academic standards. I welcome him back and wish him the best, said Dr. Louis Valori, Councilman and former Board of Education member.

“I am happy see the Dr. Seitz will be returning to the Parsippany School District.  Dr. Seitz did a lot for the district until he was pushed out the door by Christie’s Salary Cap requirements.  Back in 2010, The Board of Education realized that Dr. Seitz was a huge asset to the Parsippany School District and at the time, did what was in the best interest of the town.  Unfortunately, that decision created a great deal of controversy and he retired   Since his departure,  the district has not been able to secure a quality leader.  Regrettably, at the time I can say I was happy to see Dr. Seitz leave.  However, when the district began to fall apart, I realized I was wrong and the board of education members at the time knew that good leaders were hard to come by.  If one were to look at what we would have paid Dr. Seitz with his new contract verses what the District has paid Mr. Rixford and his expanded executive staff that he created to ease his workload, I can only assume that the district would have saved a lot of money if Dr. Seitz remained in the district.  Hopefully Dr. Seitz can restore order and rebuild the bridges between the teachers and the administration that have seemed to deteriorate in the past year and a half.  I wish him the best of luck and I am confident that he is the right person who can restore order in the district,” stated Andy Sadowski, a parent of student at Intervale School.

Seitz, who was originally hired by the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education in 2006, received statewide attention in November 2010 after Governor Chris Christie introduced a pay cap for superintendents as part of a campaign to reduce state and school districts’ costs. During a town hall meeting, Christie dubbed Seitz “the poster boy for greed“ after learning the Parsippany school board had negotiated and approved a contract for the superintendent that exceeded the pay cap, which was not yet in effect.

Seitz’s base salary was $192,000 in 2006, which later ballooned up to $212,000 by the 2010-2011 school year.

Christie threatened to withhold up to $3.6 million in state aid payments to Parsippany-Troy Hills School District if the board refused to reduce Seitz’s salary.

The board eventually relented, cutting Seitz’s salary from $212,000 to then then-cap of $175,000. Seitz in 2013 requested an administrative hearing on the move and, later that year, an Administrative Law Judge dismissed his appeal, ruling that he had to repay the district $17,597 in overpayments.

At that time, Board member Anthony Mancuso said Seitz has been “an outstanding leader and superintendent.”

Dr. Seitz ended his controversial tenure as superintendent of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District as of May 15, 2013.

Seitz then took over the helm of Franklin Board of Education, as Interim Superintendent,  on March 29, 2014. Seitz was also making $682.00 per day.

PARSIPPANY — “Pride in Parsippany”, boasts the great township sign at the intersection of Route 46 and Vail Road.

The teachers of Parsippany’s public school children however, are not to be afforded the opportunity to exhibit that pride according to an edict issued  by the school district’s chief administrator.

Teachers have been ordered to remove a simple black and white sign that says only “I am Proud to be a Teacher” in plain block letters, followed by a smaller tag line, “Parsippany-Troy Hills Education Association”.

The message, uniformly printed on standard white printer paper, had been posted on classroom doors in all district school buildings for several weeks before acting superintendent Nancy Gigante issued a directive that they be taken down.  Gigante cited Board of Education policy forbidding political actions or statements on building premises as the reason for ordering the removal of the signs.

“We view this statement as a positive message to both students and parents”, said Joe Kyle, PTHEA president.  “We have always been proud of our role as teacher, coach, counselor and guide to the children of Parsippany, and we never intended for the sign to be anything other than a declaration of that pride.”

Kyle went on to say that the PTHEA would be challenging the validity of Gigante’s interpretation of the Board policy in question.  “Our members were proud to go out of our way to willingly bail out the Board after the recent Middle School disaster, and so we are astounded that a printed declaration of that pride is deemed a political action statement”.  PTHEA members worked diligently to restore a workable schedule in both Central and Brooklawn Middle Schools, going above and beyond their contracted duties.