Board re­call un­decided
BY JOSH DAVIDSON
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — Efforts to recall four township Board of Education members are still on hold.

Whether or not the United Parents of Middletown will continue efforts to recall board members Marjorie Cavalier, Thomas Conroy, Joan Minnuies and Michael Roberts is "up in the air," group President Bill Heaney said.

Board President Robert Bucco Jr. disagrees with the potential recall action.

"I think it’s ridiculous," Bucco said. "I don’t think any board member, for speaking their mind and following their opinions, especially ones who volunteer their time, should have to go through this. Any board member, whether I agree or disagree with them, should not be subjected to this type of treatment."

Residents should express disapproval of board members during the regular school elections, Bucco said.

"If you don’t like what they are doing, you vote them out, but you don’t subject them to this type of action," he said.

The four board members in question voted to suspend High School South
Principal Daniel Lane at a special meeting Aug. 7. The board deadlocked 4-4 on the measure, recommended by Superintendent of Schools David Witmer. The tied vote resulted in Lane remaining at the school. If the measure had passed, Lane would have been suspended with pay.

Some parents and teachers had complained of Lane being volatile and using harsh language toward students.

The United Parents was created in response to the attempt to sus­pend Lane, Heaney said. Board members who voted against Lane should be unseated, Heaney said.

"You are never going to vote ev­erybody’s way," Minnuies said. "To recall us for one vote just doesn’t make sense to me."

After a summer of debate on who the school’s principal would be, things have gone well at High School South, Lane said. He said he doesn’t know if he should change his style after all that has hap­pened.

"The bottom line is, I am cer­tainly going to be kinder and much gentler to people," Lane said.

He said he has cleared up the issue with Witmer.

"I want to show the superinten­dent and the board that I am a very good leader and principal," he said.

He said he has no issues with his teachers, either, but some people he can’t please, no matter what he does.

"I could be Ghandi or Jesus Christ and they still wouldn’t like me," Lane said.

The quiet teachers have dis­tanced themselves from the ones who complain, Lane said.

Cavalier said only she and Conroy are vulnerable to a recall. Minnuies and Roberts were elected for their first full terms in April and a recall attempt cannot take place until at least one year after an elected official has taken of­fice, according to New Jersey School Boards Association regula­tions. Both Conroy and Cavalier are in the second year of three-year terms.

Minnuies said she has no hidden agenda. The recall effort is based on politics, she said.

"It just seems like politics are getting in the way and I’m defi­nitely not one of the politicians," she said.

Minnuies said she casts her vote based on factual information, not political motivation, nor does she personally benefit from her votes.

Minnuies said she waited for her children to graduate from the school system before joining the board to avoid any conflict. However, she said she still is ac­cused of voting based on her own interests.

"I don’t benefit from the way I vote and I think it’s ridiculous that people think I do," she said.

Minnuies said her participation in the school district includes membership on the Middletown High School South Task Force, a group making parents aware of drug and alcohol issues; Project Prom, which gives High School North students a safe place to go af­ter the prom; and she is the board’s liaison to all the district parent teacher associations.

Minnuies said Cavalier is an ef­fective and knowledgeable board member. The two don’t always agree but respect each other’s deci­sions, Minnuies said.

"We don’t stop talking to each other because of a disagreement. We make our votes and go on," Minnuies said.

If Cavalier were recalled, Minnuies said she would cast a vote for her.

"[Cavalier] has my vote. I think she definitely makes a difference," Minnuies said.

Cavalier read a statement at the Aug. 26 board meeting before mak­ing a motion to have William Doering, the district’s business ad­ministrator and board secretary, keep track of recall costs.

"I would like the public to know that I have not committed malfeasance or misfeasance," Cavalier said. "I am not controlled by any organization, nor do I have an affiliation with the MTEA (Middletown Township Education Association). I am a teacher and I am proud of it. I also believe that the Middletown school district benefits by having board members that are familiar with educational philosophy and pedagogy."

Cavalier said all of her votes have been made considering all in­formation and with a clear con­science and pure heart.

"Finally, to those involved in the effort to recall me, I say, "Bring it on," Cavalier said.