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About 35 city residents incensed by the state monitor’s recent decision to reject the board’s choice for superintendent showed up to the Board of Education meeting Wednesday, several of whom openly voiced their frustrations in a public hearing session that lasted close to two hours long.

Members of the Asbury Park community who spoke out criticized the state monitor’s role in the district’s education system. They feel their voices are not being heard since the people they elected to represent them on the school board, and therefore trust to make decisions in the best interest of the community, were overruled by the monitor.

Teretha Jones, who has family members in the district, was among the first to speak out.

“This denigrates the democracy system,” she said. “It’s the nonsense we have been fighting in this country for the past 300 years. It’s outrageously intolerable and will not be stood for.”

“Every time we exercise our will, it is overturned,” said Rev. Kevin Nunn. Nunn is a minister at Spirit of Truth World Vision Outreach Center and vice president of the Asbury Park-Neptune Ministerial Alliance.

Nunn questioned the criteria by which Morris’ came to the decision that Allen was not a viable candidate.

“The process was flawed and I told that to the board at every meeting they had,” said Morris.

The board paid to hire a search consultant to oversee the process and then ignored the very same people they hired, according to Morris.

A total of 38 applicants applied for the job and were vetted by the consultant who then chose 12 to move forward in the process based upon their qualifications. Allen was not one of the 12 because he did not meet the qualifications, she said.

Although he was not selected by the search consultant, board members Felicia Simmons and Qzeena Taylor said his resume was grouped among those who had “exceeded” the qualifications.

“He wasn’t at the bottom of the barrel,” said Taylor.

Resident Duanne Small, who recently served on the city’s charter study commission, said the state monitor’s decision showed “blatant disrespect” to the community and was a violation of the democratic process.

“[Allen] is highly qualified and understands the young men in the community because he was one,” he said.

“I think it’s my job to have,” said Allen after the meeting. “I think the reasoning provided [by Morris] lacks substance.”

The consultant’s decision not to move his candidacy forward is the result of his involvement as a witness in an ethics case that was filed against a board member while he was serving as the assistant board secretary and director of special projects in Pleasantville, according to Allen.

In a 6-3 vote, the board selected Gregory Allen as the district superintendent of schools in late October. State Monitor Carole Morris immediately took the selection “under advisement” due to concerns the appointment process was “seriously flawed.” She later took a vote to have a draft employment contract for Allen sent to the executive county superintendent’s office under advisement as well.

Morris announced her decision to reverse all actions to appoint any candidate the Board of Education last week.  Board Solicitor Kim Belin proposed board members make a motion to appeal Morris’ decision, which she viewed to be in excess of the state monitor’s authority. The vote to file an appeal passed 6-2.

As it currently stands, the board has not yet filed a petition with the state commissioner of education, according to Belin.

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