Some Bloomingdale Parents Concerned With Possibly Sharing Butler Superintendent

The will meet Monday night at 7 p.m., but some of the questions of several Bloomingdale residents are still unanswered in regards to whether the district will move forward with discussions of

As of Friday, Cardinale said the two districts' boards have not yet been able to jointly schedule a meeting with the Passaic County Superintendent of Schools, although Cardinale said the  has spoken with the Morris County Superintendent of Schools.

While the Bloomingdale School District is in Passaic County, the Butler School District, where Bloomingdale students attend , is in Morris County.

Both boards are seeking the opinion and advice of the executives from both counties to determine whether sharing the superintendent would force Cardinale to open his contract, since there is a difference of opinion in whether the agreement should be between the two districts or the Bloomingdale school district and Cardinale.

If it is determined that the agreement should be between Cardinale and the Bloomingdale School District, his contract would need to be opened and he would be subject to a salary cap under the new state law.

Cardinale has said he believes the agreement should be between the two districts, of which the boards of both, he said, would have the ultimate decision.

"I'm hopeful that this is something that can be accomplished," Cardinale said of the potential shared services agreement.

Several Bloomingdale taxpayers voiced concern over the district's expenditure of time looking into this option and not yet bringing in other candidates for superintendent for consideration.

Dan Schlotterbeck repeatedly asked the board for concrete numbers of how much the district could save if it decided to pursue sharing a superintendent, as well as alternative options, at the Bloomingdale Board of Education's Feb. 7 meeting.

Board President Lauren Grecco said the board was unable to disclose the financial impact the agreement could have at this time because it could create a personnel issue.

"I think that you're hiding behind that, if that's what you're saying. That's ridiculous," Schlotterbeck said.

Cardinale said that sharing a superintendent would add value, as he would serve as a full-time superintendent for both districts, whereas currently, Rosenberg wears two hats for the Bloomingdale School District-one as superintendent and the other as the principal.

Cardinale also said that sharing a superintendent could add value in the sense that he, or whoever the shared superintendent would be, would be able to streamline efficiency in operations, curriculum and in teacher training.

Aside from the financial impact, others questioned whether having Cardinale as the sole superintendent would be a conflict of interest.

"How do we know that he [would be] objective?" one resident asked. The residents also asked how the board knows Cardinale would be a good fit for the position.

Board Member and Liaison to the Sheldon Bross said, "We know more about Cardinale than anybody else. I think he does a terrific job."

The residents also brought to question the test results coming out of Butler High School, claiming students have not been doing well. Cardinale said Friday that the "trend in general in Butler has been an upward trend."

Cardinale reiterated Friday, "I don't think a final answer or decision has been reached."

Grecco said that if the board were to decide to hire Cardinale as the single superintendent, the Bloomingdale board would invite him to first speak to the public and answer any questions, which Cardinale said would not be unusual for him to come to a Bloomingdale board meeting.

The Bloomingdale Board of Education will come together tonight at 7 p.m. in the library of the Walter T. Bergen School.