Ocean City Residents Criticize Outgoing Schools Superintendent

By MADDY VITALE The Ocean City Board of Education formally accepted the resignation of Schools Superintendent Matthew Friedman at a meeting Thursday night. But not before some members of Fairness in Taxes -- a local government watchdog group -- blasted the outgoing superintendent for expenses he billed to the district for seminar-type of trips he took as an educator, despite already interviewing for another district. Friedman accepted a position in March to be schools superintendent at the Quakertown Community School District in Bucks County, Pa. Friedman, who lives in Downingtown, Pa., was hired in Ocean City in June of 2022. Vic Staniec, of Ocean City and a member of FIT, asked the board why Friedman was being compensated for trips he took for his own personal development as an educator when it would obviously not benefit the Ocean City school district since he resigned. “On the bill list is a payment of $605.85, a purchase order for reimbursement from April for Chicago,” Staniec said during public comment, adding it was an expense after Friedman accepted a new job. “Hopefully, he was charged personal leave. This trip to Chicago, a second trip in less than a month, was approved when he was well into the interview process in Quakertown.” Board members did not respond. However, they did pull the recent bill from the bill list for $605.85 for a purchase order from Friedman’s trip in April to Chicago at the urging of Staniec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKtDdUBquo Friedman's salary is $190,000. Prior to Friedman, Tom Baruffi served as acting superintendent following the 2021 retirement of former Schools Superintendent Kathleen Taylor. According to Friedman’s contract, he must stay in Ocean City through the end of June, unless the district hires an interim or a full-time superintendent prior to that time. Staniec also told the board that he has submitted Open Public Records Act requests for details about Friedman's employment contract and his expenses during his tenure in the district. “Dr. Friedman has already put in requests for $60,000 for reimbursements of his expenses,” Staniec said. School Board President Chris Halliday said the district is undergoing an expedited search to find a qualified candidate to fill the superintendent's position. “We are on an expedited plan to fill the vacancy. At the same time, we will be required to have an interim superintendent,” Halliday said, noting that most candidates are already in positions and would have to give notice to their employer to come to the district. Friedman did not give a comment about his resignation during the meeting. The Board of Education was presented with a slate of candidates for the superintendent's position in 2022, receiving applications from across the United States. On April 21, the district posted the superintendent’s position through the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), https://www.njasa.net and on the school district’s website, https://oceancityschools.org/superintendentsearchinformation. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 5. Dave Breeden, president of FIT, spoke not only as a member of the citizens group, but as a father of a daughter in the high school. He emphasized that since his daughter began her high school career, there has been a revolving door of superintendents and principals, including interims. “Leadership matters. Without leadership, we have an organization that flounders with an inability to move forward,” he said. “There has been no leadership of the Ocean City school district because of the constant changeover and transition.” “The current superintendent renegotiated generous contract terms at the very same time he was interviewing for a new job," Breeden continued. "I fail to understand why the board would want someone leading the district who does not want to be here. It is time the district looks inward.” The audience fills the library for the busy school board meeting. Breeden and Staniec noted that they learned that Lauren Guenther, who is the district's curriculum coordinator and is in charge of student services, is qualified to be an interim superintendent, while the district interviews candidates for the permanent position. “It is my understanding she rose to the occasion,” Breeden said. “Why not offer that opportunity to Dr. Guenther?” Ocean City residents Marie and Dave Hayes speak out about the district’s troubles with falling test scores and other matters at nearly every school board meeting. Marie Hayes said it starts at the top. There needs to be a leader who will guide the district in the right direction. “The process the former school board used to select a superintendent was broken. The former school board did not get it right last time and needs some deep introspection to determine what went wrong so that the current board does not make the same mistake,” Marie Hayes said. “The process of selection should begin with the needs of the school district.” She also said there needs to be a leader with “a long-term personal and professional commitment to Ocean City students and our community.” “That means we need to have a superintendent who is willing to make our wonderful island his or her home,” she said. Red Raiders girls basketball team members with coach Stephanie Gaitley and assistant coaches flash smiles for a winning season. Dave Hayes said that “student learning assessment results indicate that our district is not as wonderful as people say it is.” “Students are falling severely short of state proficiency standards and were also falling short, long before COVID,” he said. A new and highly qualified schools superintendent is needed, he added. “Previously, I used the example of a ship running aground and noted that our school district was badly in need of a course correction,” he said. “Now, to make matters worse, not only did we run aground, but our captain just abandoned ship.” In other matters at the school board meeting, Athletic Director Michael Pellegrino recognized winter athletes for their achievements. The ceremony included recognition for Red Raiders girls basketball coach Stephanie Gaitley, who is returning to coach college ball. She accepted a job to coach the women’s basketball program at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J. Gaitley, and her assistant coaches, were honored, along with the team, during the meeting. The team ended a successful season with a 23-7 record. They also captured the South Jersey Group III Championship by defeating archrival Mainland. School board member Robin Shaffer said the team and Gaitley should be commended for their work. “I want to thank Stephanie Gaitley and congratulate her appointment as head coach of FDU. You can tell, not only did the girls do well on the court, but she made it fun for them," Shaffer said. "And I wish her the best of success as she embarks on this new endeavor.” Pellegrino also noted that the team was a standout, as were the other athletes he recognized in his presentation. At the end of each school board meeting, principals of the high school, intermediate and primary schools recognize students who exemplified certain character traits for a particular month. Intermediate School Principal Michael Mattina called up students who exhibited kindness to their teachers and fellow students. Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that the district is advertising for the superintendent's position.  For more information about the Ocean City School District, visit oceancityschools.org. School officials celebrate intermediate school students for exhibiting kindness.