The South Orange – Maplewood Board of Education officially approved an agreement with Dr. John Ramos to become the district’s next Superintendent for a period from August 1, 2015 – June 30, 2020.
The board unanimously approved the measure at its meeting on Monday. Read more about Dr. Ramos here, here and here.
Marian Raab, a member of South Orange – Maplewood Parents for a Quality Education told the board she had “serious concerns” about the hiring of Ramos and the “lack of transparency” in the selection process.
“This came in as a done deal,” said Raab. She asked BOE President Wayne Eastman if Ramos’s contract will be made public before it is finalized.
“I think we could have done better,” said Raab.
“Dr. Ramos’s contract is available to any member of the public who contacts our Business Administrator [Cheryl] Schneider and follows a set of simple procedures,” said Eastman in an email on Wednesday. “As a result of the superintendent salary cap that’s now in effect in New Jersey, [Ramos is] getting a significantly lower salary for us than he received as a superintendent in Connecticut. We’re happy to be having Dr. Ramos come to South Orange-Maplewood in August for many reasons–one of them is that he’s shown his dedication from the beginning by being ready and willing to work for less than he’s received in the past.”
