OAKLAND — Ramapo Indian Hills school board members did not comment at Monday night's special meeting about what comes next following their decision to rescind the new superintendent's $1.9 million, five-year contract four days before he was scheduled to join the district.
The board, without explanation, voted 5-0-3 last Thursday to rescind the contract they approved unanimously on May 28 to hire Ronnie Tarchichi, then superintendent of the Pennsauken School District in Camden County. Tarchichi's first day of work with the district had been scheduled for July 1.
Four of the seven members of the public at the meeting on Monday addressed the board for 20 minutes. The board then went into a closed session to discuss "personnel." Business Administrator Dora Zeno announced the board would not publicly reconvene for a vote following the closed session.
Former Ramapo Indian Hills Oakland school board trustee Vivian King told board members they had "opened up the district to a huge lawsuit."
"Anyone with half a brain will sue the pants off of us, and the taxpayers are going to pay for it," King said. "You guys are running the schools and you are running it into the ground. The public needs to wake up, show up, and start holding you accountable for your actions."
Former Franklin Lakes grade school board trustee Margaret Bennett urged the board to consult an attorney with contract expertise.
"I'd like you to really think about how you are handling public funds," Bennett said. "You broke a contract and somebody is now out of a job, left a job because of your promises. I would get some really good advice on that."
District officials, school board members and Tarchichi have not returned calls seeking more information.
Board President Kim Ansh on June 16 said that the board had held discussions with Tarchichi after his contract was approved about him continuing as a paid consultant with his previous district because he had given them one month's notice rather than the standard three months. However, Ansh said Tarchichi had decided to waive the paid consultancy and remained "committed to RIH" 11 days before the district rescinded his contract.
It is unclear what happened in those 11 days that the board, Tarchichi or both decided to end the agreement.
Acting Superintendent Melissa Quackenbush remains at the helm, having received a 60-day extension of her contract at the June 27 meeting where Tarchichi's contract was rescinded.
Former Franklin Lakes grade school district trustee Kathie Schwartz spoke out against making Quackenbush a permanent superintendent for the district in the future.
"Dr. Quackenbush has never been a building principal or superintendent, and from a review of LinkedIn it is unclear if she has ever held a tenured leadership position in any of the districts she worked in," said Schwartz. "She does not have the experience to lead our district out of the mess that you have caused. She doesn’t even meet the criteria that this board had discussed publicly or set for its search for a new superintendent."
The Pennsauken School District has appointed Caroline Steer as acting superintendent, according to its website. There is no statement on the site about Tarchichi's status since the board accepted his resignation at its June 10 meeting.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Why did Ramapo Indian Hills school board rescind new super's contract? No one's saying
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