BOE asked to rescind 2 school contracts

The Union County school superintendent will now scrutinize the credentials for all administrators in the Plainfield Board of Education office, after two people were hired for supervisory positions, earning six-figure salaries, without the proper certifications.

Union County Superintendent of Schools Carmen Centuolo said yesterday she has asked the city's Board of Education to rescind the contracts for Lesly Borge, the district's coordinator of professional development and support services, as well as Laleilei Kelly, who serves as the coordinator of assessment, data collection and school improvement.

Kelly earns $125,000 a year and Borge is paid $115,000.

Both have worked in the administration since July 2008, after moving from Miami-Dade County, Fla., where they worked with Steve Gallon III. Gallon was hired as Plainfield's superintendent in February 2008 at a salary of $198,000.

Centuolo said the positions Kelly and Borge filled were originally described as highly clerical, but after several board of education staff members and teachers started complaining, she decided to take a closer look.

"No one really knew what the coordinator title was," Centuolo said. "We were told they were support staff and didn't supervise people, but their salary and staff members said they would report to them (Kelly and Borge)."

Centuolo said she thinks both are supervising a staff of fewer than 12 employees.

To oversee employees in a school system, a specific certification such as principal, administrator or supervisor is needed. Centuolo said the two had teaching credentials from Florida and had worked there testing students and in a classroom setting.

"We've asked the board to review it and rescind their contracts, because they don't hold the appropriate credentials," she said.

Centuolo said the responsibility for verifying credentials lies with individual districts, and larger districts like Plainfield may delegate the task to a human resources office.

"We want to find out what the board did and did not look at when they were hired," Centuolo said....