Fair Lawn Board of Education President Tries to Shut Down Guidance Counselor Speaking at Public Meeting

FAIR LAWN, NJ - The Board of Education president attempted to shut down a veteran guidance counselor's comments during a public board meeting. The guidance counselor, Dena DeSantis, has a level 4 grievance with the district after being involuntarily moved from her high school position to the middle school.

The Board president, Julie Mahan, objected to a motion to allow DeSantis to continue to speak at the August 22 public meeting for an additional two minutes, attempting to shut her down.

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"I object to the motion as the President of the Board of Ed. Call the roll," Mahan said.

DeSantis is grieving her move from the high school, where she served for 20 years, to the middle school level as a SAC counselor. A Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC) has been a strategy to identify, address, and monitor individual students, as well as coordinate and oversee district prevention and intervention efforts, according to NJSBA.org.

DeSantis spoke during the public portion of the August 22 meeting where there is a well-advertised three-minute limit. She spoke in a meeting earlier in the summer, also questioning her apparent demotion to the middle school, albeit at the same salary ($104,000 annually).

Fair Lawn Senior Guidance Counselor Forced to Middle School Position

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The Board does not engage in a "back and forth" or conversation during public portions of the meeting, according to the board president.

DeSantis noted the district's policy, which she said, "clearly states that it reserves the right to assign and transfer support staff members to the positions for which they are qualified and in which their service will best serve the operation of the district."

"However," she said, "my reassignment to the role of student assistance counselor seems to contradict this policy."

DeSantis said she has not worked as a substance awareness counselor, "a role distinctly different from the student assistance counselor position in over 20 years, and even then it was on a part-time basis."

The policy outlines that any transfer decisions made by the chief school administrator should consider the employee's success in previous roles, attitude toward change, length of service within the district's recommendation of the employee's supervisor, and the operational efficiency that would result from the proposed transfer.

"It explicitly states that no support staff members should be transferred for disciplinary reasons," DeSantis said.

DeSantis addressed each factor.

Factor 1: Success in a former position

DeSantis: "I have served as a guidance counselor at Fair Lawn High School for 20 years with great success. Being the only counselor in the department to receive the Education Specialist of the Year award. It seems my proven success is now being used against me."

Factor 2: Attitude toward change

DeSantis: "I have consistently communicated to the administration and the board that this reassignment is involuntary. This is not a reassignment I welcome or support."

Factor 3: Length of service

DeSantis: "As the senior member of the high school Guidance Department and indeed the senior guidance counselor in the entire district, my extensive experience should be valued, not disregarded."

Factor 4: Supervisor's recommendation

DeSantis: "I am unclear where the directive for this transfer originated. My direct supervisor, Mrs. Gupta, never discussed it with me. Instead, I was informed by Mrs. DeFranco just two days before the end of the school year, with no explanation other than my possession of a relevant certification."

Factor 5: Operational efficiency.

DeSantis: "The district chose not to renew the contract of the untenured incumbent, who was eager, knowledgeable, and fully qualified for this position. Despite having ample time..."

At this point, DeSantis was cut off. She had spoken for two minutes and 30 seconds.

"You have 30 seconds remaining," she was told.

DeSantis: "Despite having ample time to advertise the vacancy and find a willing replacement, the district instead opted to transfer me involuntarily. This decision has left the high school counseling department, with additional vacancies, worsening an already strained situation due to a recent resignation and maternity leave and another anticipated leave replacement, which you will vote on later tonight.

"The result is that the high school guidance department will be staffed by four new hires with far less experience and training than I possess," DeSantis said.

At this point, a board member made a motion to extend by two minutes DeSantis's time to talk.

"I object to the motion as the President of the Board of Ed. Call the roll," Mahan said.

DeSantis asked to say "one more thing," but Mahan cut her off.

"Unfortunately, there is a roll call in place, so that has to occur," Mahan said.

Another board member said a discussion should ensue.

"As the President of the Board of Education here in Fair Lawn, I have the right to object to consideration of a motion at this time. And I'm going to ask for a roll call," Mahan said.

Board members voted for DeSantis to continue.

DeSantis: "The result is that the high school guidance department will be staffed by four new hires with far less experience and training than I possess. How does this enhance operational efficiency? Disciplinary reasons. My 20- year tenure in this district is unblemished by disciplinary actions. However, as the association representative for the guidance department, I have been at the forefront of multiple conversations with administration about contract violations, including one recent grievance settled in favor of the high school guidance department by the state.

"In your informational packet regarding this grievance, Mr. Gorski's response to this grievance at Level 2 stated, 'Neither Mrs. Gupta nor Mr. Aiello directed Ms. DeSantis not to report a student's disciplinary infraction to a college.' This is simply untrue. Another union representative witnessed the conversation with Mr. Aiello. And it was immediately reported to the union president.

"Given these points, I strongly believe that this reassignment is not only retaliatory, but also detrimental to the students of the Fair Lawn School District. I urge the board to consider the broader context and the underlying factors that have led to this decision. As you weigh the decision that could irrevocably damage my distinguished career, I ask you to reflect on the following. Why was the board not informed that my transfer was involuntary? Why was the board not made aware that the middle School Student Assistance counselor position was not advertised?"

DeSantis was warned she had 30 seconds remaining.

DeSantis: "Even though there was ample time as the incumbent was notified of her non-renewal status before the May 15th deadline. Why was the board not informed that the untenured incumbent, who is both knowledgeable and passionate about the position, was not being rehired, thus creating a vacancy that led to my involuntary transfer, which isolates me in a position split between middle schools and seemingly serves to shield the administration from future complaints about contract violations by an earnest association representative."

Troy Newson, a local individual, spoke for DeSantis. "If the position was not advertised, why was I only notified of my involuntary transfer two days before the end of the school year without any job description or identification of the responsibilities at the middle school level? In my role as Association Representative for the Fair Lawn Education Association, I have always followed the proper chain of command, bringing contract violations to my supervisor's attention without circumventing authority. I have acted with ethical integrity throughout my career, and I respectfully request that you reconsider this reassignment, which not only undermines my professional standing but also jeopardizes the effectiveness of [others in the ] high school guidance department and ultimately the well-being of our students."

No member of the board, nor the attorney responded.

Christine Weinstein, a parent, spoke next, saying she was learning about DeSantis's move for the first time.

"Guidance counselors have been a very hot topic," she said. "In the last years, I've heard so many complaints, not because the counselors are not helpful or not knowledgeable, but that there are not enough. There's not enough support. There's not enough counselors, especially when we're going through the college application process. It is a huge process. It is so overwhelming for families that people have to hire people to help them do it. Some families can't do that, so we need our guidance counselors. So we need more of them."

Former board trustee, Cindy Jo Quackenbush, weighed-in on the issue, as well.

"I think it's a huge, huge mistake to remove her from where she is glowing, flowing and nurturing our children in the high school. I can't say enough about Dena," Quackenbush said. "She happened to be both of my children's guidance counselor. There were issues. She addressed them. She made them flourish. She guided them when they had questions. She was always there for them. She has an immense amount of experience. She's professional and she's a wonderful person. And I think that the children are really going to miss her. Especially if they don't even know that she's not going to be there when they walk in in September. So I just ask you to reconsider. She doesn't want to go. It's involuntary. She can excel where she should be able to excel and do her best in what she's able to do."

The board does not customarily comment on matters of personnel. No explanation for DeSantis's move was offered.

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