It's sad that our schools have turned into a business. The children aren't put first, business is. Any Administration or Board Member that agreed with these "moves" mid year, should be removed from their position.

Question: Do we have a Superintendent or Interim Superintendent? When will we or did conduct emails for a Superintendent? Who is/was on the committee for the search?

It was apparent during the meeting that Interim Superintendent Bilodeau did not realize that the changes were scheduled to take place around parent teacher conf time at Union Valley and if a parent wanted to discuss a situation with an administrator they would have been doing so with individuals completely new to the building. As a Superintendent how can you not know that? it lends weight to the argument that the decision was not made with the kids/parents interest in mind. probably his attempt to put his "stamp" on the district - smacks of self importance.

The BOE spent a great deal of money to use the NJ School Board Association to hire a superintendent back in the spring. They initially did not hire Bilodeau but were going with an outside person. Then, not liking the candidates, they hired Bilodeau as Interim. The BOE were the only people involved in the search. They are not trained to know what makes a good superintendent and Bilodeau is a Business Administrator. The Board is running the district right now and they are all motivated by political power and have no idea what is best for students. What a shame.

The BOE doesn't have "personal gain" on the table at all! However, they DO answer to the Democratic Party operators (check the source of support at election time). THIS, alone, makes them focus less on the children than they want to. They are truly between a rock and a hard place. NO business administrator can understand the needs of the kids and teachers. It's not in their DNA; therefore, NO such person should be considered a candidate for EDUCATIONAL leadership. If the teachers have no contract, check the NJEA. They control what the union can accept; no, not directly, but by strong influence and advice.

We didn't even know our Principal at Loring Flemming was on the chopping block. She turned that school around. I am saddened and disgusted. I plan to reach out to our PEC now. I can't tell you how great she has been with our children.

“We have four Title I schools. We have the State of New Jersey that reminds me constantly how poor the test results are in those schools,” Bilodeau said.

I am not trying to be a smart aleck, I am just a low-information reader asking an honest question....

If Bilodeau's statement above is true, then why is everyone so excited about keeping status quo?

The teachers are forced to teach for the tests. In that, many other things are lost. I have two boys in middle school now, and two kindergarteners. My 6 year olds are doing Math. I'm generally not opposed to that but develipmentally most 5-6 year olds are not ready for that. They get a lot of homework because there is no time to finish everything. I've been in the classroom and seen how the teachers have to rush. That is the real problem. Restructure the curriculum and make full day kindergarten. There is only so much one person can do with 20+ kids and one assistant in a day.

Developmentally*

I've noticed a steady declined in the last 4 years. We have teachers who are scared of the administrators and we have teachers who are buddy buddy so evaluations and observations mean nothing. Keeping the status quo and riding this ship over the edge.

People seem so surprised by the actions of this School Board and it's "Interim Superintendent". You shouldn't be there have been enough people on this site writing about it and asking for people to come out and get involved and ask hard questions of this Board. Like over a year and you couldn't find a qualified replacement for Superintendent? Why Bilodeau as Interim Superintendent? If you listen to stories from employees he has had his own issues with the Board regarding District rules? Why with all the taxes paid we have such poor test scores? Why once it was clear that Bilodeau was going to be named that more than a few Administrators chose to leave the District than work with Bilodeau? Why at almost every Board meeting Bilodeau always seems to have a flurry of Budget transfers? Why teachers and Support Staff are still working without contracts?
Bilodeau has no experience as a teacher or principal so he has no clue how transfers effect a building and the people in it, yet he is the best canidate this Board could find to run this District. this speaks volumes how out of touch this Board is!

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We have teachers who work tirelessly with the children in this district, even without a contract. It was revealed last night that the board can't agree to give the teachers more than a 2% increase, however, we have an interim super who was given a Ford F150 to tool around in... at the taxpayers expense. As a taxpayer, I would rather give my teachers a raise than to continue to pay the gas on this vehicle and pay to have his private vehicles serviced at the municiple garage.

Good job

The test scores in any district have more to do with how prepared the students are when they enter the schools and the socioeconomic status of the families than anything that happens in the schools. I'm not suggesting that schools shouldn't be held accountable, but that schools with larger percentages of poor students have a greater uphill battle. This is true across the nation.

And kindergarteners have been doing math for decades. Please. They are more than capable. The district only has half day kindergarten - that's something to complain about. They have half a day to play and half a day to learn.

The district's curriculum supervisors have made horrible choices in the last 6 years! Reading & writing curriculums have not been consistent. Just as the teachers are getting used to a certain program they change it. Or, they are forced to teach with a horrible writing program that does not prepare the students for tests or real life writing! So teachers are teaching from curriculums that they don't agree with because they know it's not helping the children. Administrators & supervisors should be listening to the teachers & actually getting their opinions before choosing BS curriculums!! Gloucester township has wasted so much money on useless curriculums that are not helping our children. That's the problem (well 1 of the many problems)!! Tax payers should not be complaining about teachers salaries, but instead on these wasted curriculums!

Okay, I hate to state the obvious...not really:-) Allow me to quote Dr. Steve Perry. Oh, teachers, you say you are concerned with education but haven't heard of Steve Perry. Well, he runs a school in Hartford, CT, that sends 100% of its mostly minority students on to four-year colleges.
First, my disclaimer: I have no love for the School Board, in fact, I attended the 2013 re-org meeting and stated on the Patch that I felt like I was watching an episode of the Keystone Cops. So, much for the School Board.
Moving right along, Dr. Perry enlightened me to part of our problem in the public schools. He stated that our schools that were once a product-oriented enterprise have now become a producer-oriented enterprise. Are you getting that?
Additionally, Dr. Perry stated another thing that I've known for years, 75% of our students attempting to go on to Community College have to take remedial courses because, although they have been awarded a diploma, it really doesn't mean anything in this day and age. I discovered this over ten years ago when I read that our community colleges complained that the schools were not doing their jobs correctly because too many young adults were coming to them and needed remedial courses before being eligible for college level courses. Go to CCC today and ask and you'll find out that it's now been accepted that remedial courses are a foregone conclusion.
It is truly sad and cannot all be blamed on the administrators. Now what?

John Bilodeau is worthless know nothing, a trouble maker and has no idea what he is doing.........Since he has been there he has been upsetting the apple cart. Our best move for Gloucester Township Public Schools would be to move him mid-year to the unemployment line.

We wonder if the INTERIM Super drives that GT taxpayer funded Ford F150 to his other job at the Pennsauken BOE? Does anyone wish to comment on this? We are legion. We are watching. We are everywhere.

Dont know much about Bilodeau. I do know that I have a kid in Chews school and a step-kid in Triton. I have seen a decline in both. I don't care what test scores say. I am talking about the character of the people and the staff. Chews school has been a fiasco since Tracy Elwell left. Lucky Union Valley will not have to deal with the same fate. It's the blind leading the blind over there now.

Used to be a great school. Now no one even pays attention to what the kids are doing. Every day my son tells me someone got in a fight at recess or kids were cursing and screaming on the bus and teachers and lunch aides just yell and scream all the time. never used to be that way. Who's minding the ship?
I blame parents too. 3rd and 4th graders fighting and dropping the f bomb? really? Who is raising these kids?

I have kids in 2 of the effected schools and I knew nothing about any of this until day before yesterday. Didn't even know there was a potential for them to be shuffled around, or that we were getting a new Principal at Lorring Flemming. And I consider myself pretty knowledgable about what goes on in Gloucester Township. I would have likely attended the meeting.

I agree with Angie Jones that things have not been the same this year at Chews. I have 2 kids there. I don't know what the issue is. Did you know that one of the teachers actually told her class that "they were the worst 5th grade class that they have ever had at Chews".

The decline in Gloucester Township started when superintendent mr. Seussmuth left in 2005 and the "good old boys" (Seddon, Petruzelli, etc) went on power trips! The decline in Chews started when Tracy Elwell became principal & it just continued to get worse with bad administrators. Tracy may be doing a fine job now at Union Valley, but I find that hard to believe when she only taught Kindergarten for 3 years.
Also, teachers are trying to help their students but they have to jump through hoops to get that help. Teachers are frustrated with limited resources and no one wanting to help them - including parents.

I agree to a point. I know several parents who are more than willing to help out however they can if they asked- myself included. I think Chews has a pretty active group of parents. I know not every teacher is that lucky.
I see a huge lack of respect on both sides.
I can't really complain about Mrs Elwell. I think she did a nice job in her short time at Chews. The kids all loved her, and I've never heard a bad word about her from parents.
This past year and a half or so, I have seen a tremendous lack of communication and respect among students-parents-teachers-administrators. It is not just one thing or one group. It is a multi-pronged problem.
As someone who posts with my own name, and is known by a lot of people in this community, I am sure I run the risk of drawing the ire of various people, but I call it like I see it.

I got my letter home today from Loring Flemming. So, I guess now I know about the Principal leaving- a little too late.

Well hopefully this Board and it's puppet Bilodeau's recent actions will finally get people involved. That means asking hard questions, getting rid of political hacks like Collins, Carr and the rest of this Board and replacing them with people who put children first, not political favors. Then finding a real Superintendent for this district and ridding ourselves of the Board puppet Bilodeau.
If you take a look at the Board minutes you will notice the same old Bilodeau shell game the famous Budget Transfers. Keep moving money around until the public loses track or just gets confused. If you check past Board minutes you will notice constant transfers almost every month. Did Bilodeau give the public a real budget to vote on or did he just plug numbers into accounts and move money around how he wants with no regard on what the public voted on.

The five educators charged in the sex scandal—teachers Jeffrey Logandro, 32, Nicholas Martinelli, 28, and Daniel Michielli, 27, and administrators Catherine DePaul, 55, and Jernee Kollock, 39—currently are suspended with pay.

Let's review...Edwards, Davis, Moran, Wrigley, Lamb, Petruzelli, Csolak - all administrators who left for leadership positions in other districts in the last 18 MONTHS. These people gave up that precious tenure as well as sick days and such to GET OUT of Gloucester Township. Now we have secretaries that are leaving for other districts! There must be a dead skunk lying around for so many people to be holding their nose and running from GT! The school board is micro-managing, politically motivated, and clueless. They surely do not care about our kids. The ones who care have left to care for others. Sad.

Concerned about the principal hiring practices. Are our children's best interest in mind, and are the most qualified people being placed as principal? Or as interim superintendent said at Board of Ed mtg, "Loring Flemming needs a strong male minority presence" when asked why someone from outside of district was hired over in district applicants.

I understand as parents we're all upset with the board, however who invited someone from another town to come in and scream at one of the members? When did it become ok to use scare tactics to accomplish getting what we want? What happened to that woman was awful. I'm embarrassed we've come to this, because quite frankly there is no excuse for it. If any child saw the way that man acted we would have covered their ears and eyes. Why didn't the School Board President stop things? Things may have gotten upsetting for all parties but the board has children as well I'm sure. Not everything boils down to a huge political scheme or cover up looming behind a door. I hope I never see that at a meeting again, and I hope that young man never comes back to our town again with such venom.

Hi Linda. I was at the school board meeting last night. I thought I heard that kid say he was from here. Maybe I misheard him. How do you know he is from out of town?

While I don't condone or approve of the gentlemen's approach I still can't defend the Board or Bilodeau. They have brought the anger and venom of parents and residents on themselves by ignoring parents, ignoring questions, questionable dealings, political favors and outriight disrespect for the opinions of residents and employees. Maybe after seeing the reaction of people at last two Board meetings they are starting to understand that residents are fed up and demanding change and the end of all the political games. We could start with a real Superintendent that has experience as an educator.

Sorry, but I disagree. The BOE are the representatives of the people. THEY are the persons who need to be replaced. That done, the people's rep's could find a proper Super' and begin the process of change.
Most teachers will do a very good job because they are the ones who really care about our kids. Unshackle them from the political people and the butt-kissers and you'd see GT once again become a top district in results.

I P: Fully agree w/you.One problem is that the machine has dominated all areas for so long that there are few independent people left, and they are intimidated by the crass conduct of the machine folk.

Hopefully, people have had enough of this Board and if people are still on the fence then I suggest go to YOUTUBE type Gloucester Township BOE they have a video of the January Board meeting. You will get to see People asking questions and Board members not paying attention, smirking,looking at the people asking questions with contempt, Board members chosing to not answer questions or trying to dance around them and even Bilodeau and Collins having a conversation while a resident is trying to ask them a question. If the questionable choices by this Board and Bilodeau isn't enough to prompt people to run. Then just watch the video and watch the disrespect and contempt that the Board members and Bilodeau show parents, residents and employees who dare to ask questions that should prompt people into action. The time has come to replace this Board and Bilodeau and find candidates that respect the people that voted them on to the Board and are there for the children and not the political favors and games.