School's leader accused of lying Phillipsburg Superintendent Gordon Pethick denies knowing the state said district is top-heavy. Saturday, June 23, 2007 • By DANIEL HAUSMANN • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | The fight between a pair of town council members and school administration turned ugly Friday when council President David DeGerolamo accused Superintendent Gordon Pethick of lying to council. At a May 8 meeting between the council and school board, council Vice President James Stettner asked the administrators if the state Department of Education ever said the district was top-heavy in administration. Town clerk Michele Broubalow said the meeting minutes show Pethick replied no. DeGerolamo received a state Office of Administrative Law decision from the DOE showing in 2003 an administrative law judge recommended the district cut central office positions. "Simply put, Phillipsburg has too many administrators for a district of its size," judge Ken Springer wrote in the ruling. Springer's findings were nonbinding. In an accompanying letter, the state DOE commissioner concurred with Springer's findings. "I find it pathetic that the school administration lied to us at an open public meeting," DeGerolamo said. "It only brings to question what other skeletons could be in the closet." Pethick and Business Manager Bill Poch said they didn't remember the document. "We must read 5 million papers. The administration is not lying," Pethick said. "We're not trying to hide anything." Council recommended in May that the district cut Marian Trapani's director of whole school reform position and eliminate the fourth high school assistant principal position. The cuts would save more than $160,000 in the school budget. Pethick said state mandates justify the need for those administrative positions. He said the district operation would suffer if the cuts are made. "There's no question these positions are needed," Pethick said. Poch said the staff felt the judge was unfair four years ago and said there were disputes over facts and figures presented in the case. "The DOE has not had any issues with administrative costs in our district (since 2003)," Poch said. The school board has yet to act on council's recommended cuts. The board budget and finance committee will meet 6 p.m. Monday before the regular board meeting. Board President Paul Rummerfield voted against the initial school budget because he felt the board should have revamped the administration. DeGerolamo gave Rummerfield a copy of the court ruling earlier in the week. "It validates the vote I took on the budget," Rummerfield said. "I'm embarrassed the board didn't have that document. That's something that should be given to the board." Reporter Daniel Hausmann can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at dhausmann@express-times.com.