Monday, May 13, 2013
The Saddle Brook Board of Education Monday approved the hiring of Dr. Richard Katz as its new superintendent of schools.
The Saddle Brook Board of Education Monday introduced and approved a five-year contract for its new superintendent of schools. Richard Katz, the current superintendent, principal and director of special services for the Clinton-Glen Gardner School District in Hunterdon County will assume the reins of the district on July 1 at a salary of $157,500. He'll replace the retiring superintendent Kathryn Fedina, who returned to work this week after being out for the past 2.5 months on medical leave. Katz, who has held a dual superintendent/principal role in the one-school, 500-student Clinton-Glen Gardner district since 2009, said he chose Saddle Brook for its close-knit community and commitment to improvement. "I’m in a small community now and …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The 2013-2014 Saddle Brook school budget, adopted Wednesday, includes a 2 percent tax increase.
The Saddle Brook Board of Education adopted a $31.8 million school budget Wednesday that includes a 2 percent tax increase. "It's the lowest [tax impact] since I've been here and, I think, in many years," business administrator Raymond Karaty said. Despite dealing with rising employee health costs, out-of-district tuition increases and flat state aid, the budget committee was able to come in at cap while maintaining all of the district's current programs and staff, Karaty said. Karaty said the committee remained within the cap by cutting down on maintenance projects, funding capital projets with capital reserves and surplus, and exploring employee health insurance alternatives to the State Health Benefits Plan. The budget allocates a …
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saddle Brook students and parents should expect a change in visitor entry procedures at school buildings once school resumes.
Administrators plan to beef up visitor entry procedures at Saddle Brook schools once classes resume after winter break, according to a letter Superintendent Kathryn Fedina sent home to parents. "There is no doubt that reflection on the recent past requires us to change past practices," the letter states, referencing the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn. that killed 20 students and six staff. "At this time, I would like to make you aware that there will be a change in procedures for visitor entry into schools following winter break." The specifics of the new policy have yet to be finalized, but school administrators will meet in early January to discuss possibilities. Principals will inform parents of the details once the new …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Dr. Kathryn Fedina, the superintendent of the Saddle Brook School District for the past two-and-a-half years, is retiring at the end of the year.
With Saddle Brook superintendent Kathryn Fedina set to retire when her contract expires at the end of this school year, the district is launching a search for her successor. Fedina, who has more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience, was hired to run the district in 2010, after spending five years at the helm of the Henry Hudson Regional School District in Highlands, Monmouth County. In her first two years in the district, Fedina has overseen the installation of whiteboards and interactive projectors in every classroom and the development of the district's professional development academy for teachers. While she was named one of six semifinalists for the National Association of School Superintendents' National …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
The superintendents in each district have cancelled school on Monday and Tuesday due to the threat of Hurricane Sandy.
With Hurricane Sandy closing in on the area, Fair Lawn superintendent Bruce Watson and Saddle Brook superintendent Kathryn Fedina have chosen to close all schools in their respective communities on Monday and Tuesday. Fair Lawn sent out a SwiftReach alert to all parents and posted the information on its website around 3 p.m. Saddle Brook followed suit a few hours later. Fair Lawn emergency management coordinator Ira Marks said that extra precautions have been taken this year at Memorial Middle School, which suffered flood damage in Hurricane Irene and remained closed for a month following the storm. In addition to sandbagging all entrances to the building, which was largely successful last year, the district's buildings and grounds crew …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Three local organizations presented donations totaling $8,000 in support of the school district's Italian Studies program for grades kindergarten through six.
Representatives from three local organizations made donations to support the continuation of Saddle Brook's nascent Italian Studies program at Wednesday's board of education meeting. The Coccia Foundation, Saddle Brook's Unico chapter and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3484 gave a combined $8,000 to the district's Italian program, which started last year in grades kindergarten through six. "We wouldn’t have been able to support the teacher’s salary without the wonderful funds that we’ve gotten from these wonderful organizations," Superintendent Kathryn Fedina said, thanking the organizations for their generosity. The Italian classes, which reach approximately 900 students at the elementary level, are taught by Annamaria Di Modugno and have …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Saddle Brook High/Middle School principal said athletes with games any time during the school week will be allowed to wear their team jerseys on Fridays.
Saddle Brook's new districtwide dress code won't prevent student athletes from carrying on the longstanding tradition of wearing team jerseys to school in the run up to game days, high/middle school principal James Sarto said. The board of education discussed the matter in depth at its meeting last week, and while some members initially expressed concerns about permitting the practice, they ultimately decided to leave the policy decision up to school administrators. "The board was very nice, they said let’s leave it to principals, and that’s, I believe, how it should be," Sarto said. "On Fridays, if you’re in a sport in season, you can wear your sports jersey." A number of board members had worried that if the policy weren't extended to …
paul insolacao
12:33 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Great day for CPS more ›