Board of Ed squabbles over $8,000 fee for keynote speaker
After two votes, Pedro Noguera is approved
The board of education was divided on whether to pay Pedro Noguera $8,000 to deliver the keynote address for the annual Superintendent’s Convocation for the Asbury Park School District Faculty and Staff. After two votes, the speaker and his fee were approved.
Noguera is a professor of education at New York University, according to the NYU website, as well as “an urban sociologist whose scholarship and research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions in the urban environment.” A list of his published works can be found by clicking here.
Asbury Park’s annual convocation will take place on Sept. 4 this year and is entitled, “Education, Equity and Empowerment: The Civil Rights Issue of the 21st Century,” according to the agenda from Wednesday night’s BOE meeting.
Third-grade teacher Sean Hamilton questioned the $8,000 speaker fee, saying, “That’s 80 years of my teacher supplies. I receive $100 a year.”
Board member Gregory Brewington asked for background information on Noguera.
“He is a phenomenal speaker,” Superintendent Denise Lowe [pictured above] said. “It will be inspiring for the school district.”
“I think $8,000 is a lot of money for a person to speak for one day,” board member Angela Ahbez-Anderson said. “I understand he’s an excellent speaker.”
Some teachers have complained last year’s speaker insulted some of the staff, Ahbez-Anderson added. Feedback data from the convocation did not show that to be true, Lowe said.
“Given the choices, I see no reason why we should not be able to bring the best to Asbury Park,” Lowe said. “The best costs. It’s the board’s decision if they want to not have Pedro come speak to the staff but this is time-sensitive.”
The first vote failed to gain a majority to hire the speaker. Brewington, Ahbez-Anderson, and Rev. Geneva Smallwood voted not to approve Noguera and the $8,000 fee. Brewington said he wanted more information on the speaker. Board members Gerard Dalton, Shelia Brazile and Barbara Lesinski voted in favor of the item.
After that vote, state-appointed fiscal monitor Lester Richens, who has the power to overrule board actions, spoke in favor of Naguero.
“He is an excellent speaker and he comes with a wealth of information on … issues that affect Asbury Park,” Richens said. “I’m not going to overrule you but I think you just made a mistake. I think sometimes we’re penny wise and pound foolish. You’re bringing someone who’s a national expert.”
The board is in the midst of terminating teachers, Ahbez-Anderson said. “We had a teacher say he has $100 a year for his budget. I think $8,000 is a lot of money for a speaker. I understand he probably is great but he’s here for one day,” she said.
But the board voted again and this time, only Ahbez-Anderson and Smallwood voted no, so the motion passed.
