MONROE – The Board of Education has given no reason why Superintendent of Schools Chari Chanley has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The 6-3 vote to suspend the superintendent came after a closed session in a marathon meeting that ended early May 6.
Before the closed session, Board President Katie Fabiano said it was to "discuss the superintendent's evaluation."
After the closed session, board member Gail DiPane made the motion to place Chanley on immediate paid administrative leave "because of what we heard tonight."
The vote was 6-3 to suspend Chanley, with Gazela Bohra, Amanda Peck and Peter Tufano voting no. Board Vice President Carmen Alvarez, members DiPane, Fabiano, Peter Piro, Usha Sharma and Charles Zeichner voted yes. Board member Kate Rattner was absent.
Chanley's time as superintendent has been fraught with controversy as she faced criticism and ethics complaints.
One incident led to an ethics sanction from the State Department of Education, while another involved a viral confrontation with a parent who accused her of bullying.
The latest controversy seemingly involved an effort to oust Woodland Elementary School Principal Orsolina Cetta at the March 17 school board meeting. Cetta has been principal since August 2022.
At the March meeting, five board members abstained whether to renew Cetta's contract.
Prior to the vote on Chanley's suspension, Bohra said the community had gone through a "month of anguish."
"My faith in community is renewed today," Bohra said, "Thank you everyone for coming out. Thank you for the hundreds of emails we've received. I'm hoping that this board is going to do the right thing for the students, the staff and the Monroe community today."
At the same meeting, Cetta's contract was renewed by an 8-1 vote. After a change.org petition received more than 500 signatures, parents, staffers, students, and residents came out to voice support Cetta at the meeting.
"I wanted to say how embarrassed I am that, after all the love, inspiration − I can't believe how much the community and your school, your staff loves you," Tufano told Cetta before the vote. "I'm embarrassed, because after all that hard work, all that love and admiration, that you have to sit there with anxiety and tears in your eyes and with counsel and worry about your position in this town. It's embarrassing, and I hope that no matter what the vote is today, that you never change the person that you are, because the world needs people like you."
The district serves 6,965 students, according to the latest Board of Education numbers.
The school district has been roiled for years by opposition to Chanley
In 2022, Chanley was awarded a three-year contract as superintendent after serving nearly a year as an acting superintendent. Chanley has been with the district for nearly 22 years.
Chanley is the district's seventh superintendent in a dozen years. She held the post of principal of the district's middle school since 2008 before becoming acting superintendent.
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Cheryl Makin is an award-winning feature, news and education reporter forMyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: [email protected] or@CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.