I love Marcia's newsletters, and I think it is fantastic that she does them. I have absolutely no problem distinguishing between her thoughts and those of the board. I also understand that the newsletter she puts out is from HER and not from the BOARD. Give the public a little credit! I think it is just what an elected official SHOULD do - she is keeping her constituents informed, and I love that. I am interested and concerned - I have two children at the high school. But to be honest, I don't have the time or the interest to go sit through the board meetings, so I am very happy to receive her updates.
Susie Abramson, Chester resident

If nothing else, it’s certainly unprofessional to externally criticize an organization that she is a member of. If she has issues with the board, she should vet them internally. If she’s unhappy with the official newsletter the board puts out, she should try to get it changed internally. By airing these grievances externally, she’s actually displaying her own incompetence to effect change internally, and therefore, really deserve to be on the board. That’s my take.

Unfortunately, the West Morris Regional School Board has a history of being somewhat less than transparent and projecting an air of superiority. The image of themselves that they are portraying at their meetings is unhealthy for the communities involved and is serving them poorly, having resulted in this growing distrust about their agendas. I have witnessed this unsavory attitude first hand and find some of them quite contemptible. All of the dissension and infighting is disgraceful, yet I approve of Marcia Asdal's newsletters because they quash any potential for secrecy on the part of the Board. If they want the communities to trust and support them, they really should consider enrolling in charm school.

Not a hard problem to solve. It's called a disclaimer: "The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of the West Morris Regional School Board nor any other organization to which the author may belong."

Hookerman- Can you send us all a link to the last official newsletter(s) the Board put out?

Henry is absolutely correct; since Jamie Button joined the BOE as the representative from Mendham Township he has displayed, as Henry says, an "unsavory attitude", and certainly has projected an "air of superiority". I don't trust him, his agenda or his pals from his CBS organization. Hookman is also spot on with that post. If Mrs. Asdal wants the position of board secretary, she should apply for it. She needs to realize that she has been elected to the position of board member and not hostess of the neighborhood coffee klatch.

Domino's post is spot on.
Marcia has a right to her opinions. No one is disputing that. But her elaborate newsletters are printed in a format (good for her! she is tech-savvy!) to look like an official newsletter. Which it isn't.

Does the district have an official newsletter? i'd say that they they should--if only to make sure that a dissenting board member doesn't misrepresent (intentionally or not) positions that the board may have taken.

Marcia may be taken aback by these comments. But she shouldn't be.

"Does the district have an official newsletter? i'd say that they they should--if only to make sure that a dissenting board member doesn't misrepresent (intentionally or not) positions that the board may have taken."
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Harvey,
Doing exactly that would would be most welcome and novel...certainly a much needed first step toward the transparency that has been lacking from the board.

I think it is common knowledge that the letters to the editor from "Charlene Arrington, Chair of CBS"; letters that open slam the superintendent, fellow board members, mayors such as Neil Henry and Bill Cogger (and daughter) and others are all written by Jamie Button and carry Ms. Arrington's name so that Mr. Button can avoid ethics charges. Seems like a lot of writing going on and very little action.

Domino- What the heck do these statements have to do with the lack of Board transparency or whether Mrs Asdal should be distributing a newsletter to her constituents?

My guess is you are a former Board member yourself who is messaging for the board majority. But who cares?

The only thing that matters is the state of our school district and whether it is providing the best education possible to ALL its students in its current form. Nothing is pointing in the direction of school improvement. Scores continue to decline, rankings continue to decline, and we are almost at the bottom of J district performance.

So, it seems the only question that needs to be asked is whether the existing Board has the talent and drive, together with our new superintendent, to reverse this decline and get on with the tough task at hand. Based on what I have witnessed first hand, I doubt it. So who is holding this Board accountable?

Domino- did I really guess wrong? How would you propose that Mr. Button and Mrs. Asdal move to improve the schools when every suggestion/recommendation they put forward immediately gets a resounding "no" from the board majority?

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