Super intentions

High drama on Merrison Street: Assistant Superintendent Barbara Pinsak has been named Interim Superintendent. Pinsak, of course, takes the position that was to have been occupied by Constance Clark-Snead, lured from Westbury, NY to fill the vacancy left after the illness and untimely death of John Czeterko.

This story has it all: big money, betrayal, litigation, and an angry public. Clark-Snead, who was to be paid $230,000 per year plus benefits to take the top job in the Teaneck school district, abruptly backed out of her agreement only days before she was slated to begin her new job amid ongoing controversy in her old one. Teaneck's Board of Education, still smarting from the significant reduction to its proposed budget, now faces the headache of restarting the superintendent search process as well as the embarrassment of being spurned by Ms. Clark-Snead. Meanwhile, former BoE candidate and current co-president of the PTO Council Patricia King-Butler is expressing her displeasure with the hiring process, and apparently with the school board leadership as well.

“Let’s just say that the process was not as transparent as it could be,” she told the Record. “I can’t sit back and continue to do nothing while the Teaneck school system goes down the drain.”

While Teaneck BoE President Ardie Walser was "disappointed" with Ms. Clark-Snead's resignation, it is not clear that Teaneck residents should share that sentiment. Perhaps even Walser himself should be pleased that Teaneck appears to have dodged a bullet here. The Board of Education has been given a do-over, and this time it might be able to identify a more reasonably priced administrator, or at least one who intends to abide by the terms of his or her employment agreement. Walser et al should relish the opportunity to demonstrate to the public that they are better judges of character than this episode makes them out to be.