By MADDY VITALE
Former Ocean City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Friedman left the district more than six weeks ago. But his yearlong tenure continues to be brought up by a local watchdog group, Fairness in Taxes.
Dave Breeden, president of FIT, maintained that through documents obtained through the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), he found issues with Friedman’s attendance.
Most recently, Breeden and fellow FIT member, Vic Staniec, spoke at the Aug. 24 Board of Education meeting about Friedman.
Breeden said that Friedman should not receive a vacation check buyout from the district, and alleged that the former superintendent “failed to or improperly” recorded his time out of the district. Staniec spoke of a need to not make the same “mistake” in hiring again with the next superintendent.
“Over the past few months, Ocean City Fairness in Taxes has been piecing together the puzzle of the former superintendent’s work performance, or lack thereof,” Breeden told the school board.
He continued, “As a result of submitting public records requests with five school districts in three states, along with the state of New Jersey, FIT can state with certainty that the former superintendent attempted to manipulate, in a premediated, calculated and deliberate manner, his attendance record for personal financial gain that he did not earn.”
Breeden said any vacation payout check to Friedman would be too much and nothing is owed.
“His attendance record is lackluster at best, and not representative of a school leader entrusted with the future of our school community,” he said.
Friedman said in an interview Sunday that he is aware of Breeden’s OPRA requests on behalf of FIT.
“Mr. Breeden has a right to his opinion. People know I did my job, but there will be people who want to believe Dave Breeden,” he said. “I can’t change that.”
As for the OPRA requests Breeden has filed looking into Friedman’s vacation time and attendance in the district, Friedman said he can OPRA as much as he wants. It is Breeden’s right.
But he also noted that Breeden is “basing his opinions on the information from the OPRA requests, which are limited in scope.”
What Breeden is not privy to is discussions between Friedman and school personnel that would deliver a fuller picture of what occurs between employees and employers, he explained.
“He is allowed to concoct anything he wants. He has a right to his opinions,” Friedman said. “Ultimately, any decisions with my payments are made by the school board members who are elected officials.”
In March, Friedman accepted a position to become the superintendent at the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pa. The married father of three, who lives in Downingtown, Pa., said in an interview in May that he took the position after careful consideration because it would mean more time with his family and being a superintendent in a district near his home.
Friedman was hired in Ocean City in June of 2022, and the district formally accepted his resignation at a school board meeting on April 27. He left after just one year in a three-year contract. His annual salary was $190,000.
He noted that he is happy with the choice he made, and while it was not an easy decision because he enjoyed his time in Ocean City, it was the right choice for him as a husband and a father.
“I love my new job,” he said.
During the school board meeting Aug. 24, Staniec, like Breeden, got up and spoke about Friedman.
Staniec asked the school board why they selected Friedman in the first place, especially considering the fact that he had a long commute.
“He lived in Downingtown, almost five hours a day commuting back and forth. Why didn’t you put a stipulation in his contract after a time to move closer?” Staniec asked.
He urged the board to select carefully the next person who will lead the district.
“Hopefully, with the next superintendent you choose, you pick someone locally familiar with the values of our community,” he added.
Staniec asserted that the school board made a mistake by hiring Friedman.
Prior to Friedman, there was an interim superintendent, Tom Baruffi. He came on to fill in after the 2021 retirement of former Schools Superintendent Kathleen Taylor. Longtime educator Dr. Scott McCartney, of Egg Harbor Township, stepped into the role of interim superintendent back in July.
The school board is in the process of narrowing its search for a candidate for the top post.
Board of Education President Chris Halliday said Sunday that he could not comment on Friedman’s contract since it is a personnel matter.
“I wish Dr. Friedman success in his new district,” Halliday said.
But he did say that the district is going in a “positive direction” with the superintendent search.
The school board is moving into the final stages of the search.
“We’ve had the opportunity to interview a strong pool of experienced candidates to lead our district and are narrowing into the final candidate,” Halliday said.
He noted that McCartney has provided “senior leadership” and “has been a great asset to the district.”
For more about Ocean City schools, visit www.oceancityschools.org.
