Hazlet School Board Approves New Hires, Switches Food Service Vendor

The Hazlet Board of Education approved three new additions to the educational staff and voted to change its food service provider at its meeting at Cove Road Elementary School Monday.  

• For the position of District Supervisor of Language Arts, the board agreed to hire Reynold Forman, an English teacher of the Colts Neck Regional School System, to begin on August 1st at an annual salary of $98,000. He replaces Joe Sinsheimer, who is retiring. 

• For the newly created position of District Supervisor of Educational Technology, the board chose Greg Farley, the Director of Technology at Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, at an annual salary of $108,000. He begins work on July 1. 

• To replace retiring Hazlet Middle School art teacher Roberta Martin, the board hired Laura Forrest, a part-time teacher at Highlands Elementary. Her annual salary will be $55,520 and she will start on Sept. 1. 

Interviews continue for the principal's position of Beers Street Elementary and Raritan High School, said Superintendent Bernard Bragen. "We have a very high expectation level for that [high school] position," he said. 

In other business, the board awarded a contract for food services for the 2012-2013 school year to Maschio's Food Service, after considering higher bids from current provider Chartwells, as well as Aramark, The Nutrition Group and Whitsons Culinary Group. Current employees will retain their jobs, said Board Business Administrator Christopher Mullins.

The northern NJ-based firm serves over 150 public and private school districts, according to its website. The service comes highly recommended from the Keyport school district, said Mullins. Maschio's has a partnership with t of Holmdel to provide fresh fruit and vegetables on the lunch trays. "They've more about Dearborn, and less about Domino's," said Mullins. 

A vote to approve a long list of people to supplemental coaching positions at Raritan High School for the 2012-2013 was approved by the board.

But a list of proposed appointments to the Hazlet Middle School coaching staff were tabled "pending a review of the process" said Schools Superintendent Bernard Bragen. 

Several members of the Hazlet United Soccer Association had come to the meeting to support the appointment of Mike Connell, a district gym teacher and HUSA coach, for the position of middle school soccer coach.  

In a statement to the board during the public comments session, HUSA Vice President Vincent Serpico said the club had forged a mutually supportive alliance with the Hazlet school district, and wished to advocate for a strong coach on behalf of the seventh and eighth grade club players who are competing at top level divisions. "The boys deserve a good coach who can coach at this level," he said. 

After the closed session portion of the meeting, Bragen said he was grateful for the feedback but had planned to meet with the director of athletics and the Middle School principal Tuesday morning anyway "to review the process to ensure we hire the best candidate for the position." He said all Middle School appointments would be reviewed. 

"We weren't true to our normal process," he said.