2.25% Tax Levy Increase Proposed for School Budget

Budget includes a portion of cap banking funds from 2011-12.

The 2012-13 proposed school budget for the School District of the Chathams has a 2.25 percent tax levy increase, out of an allowable 3.28 percent increase, and an expenditure decrease of $73,951. Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa gave a presentation on the school budget to the Board of Education during an open Finance Committee meeting Monday. The district can also use $675,387 in banked cap from 2011-12, which brings the allowable tax levy increase to $1,731,213, or 3.28 percent, over last year without requiring a public vote. "That [banked cap] was a combination of money that we received for enrollment growth ... and for increases in our health insurance costs [last year]," LaSusa said. The district does not qualify for any …

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Poll: Is No Child Left Behind Waiver Good for Chatham?

The effect of the waiver remains unclear, according to Assistant Superintendent LaSusa.

Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa said the School District of the Chathams will "continue to wait" to see what effect the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver will have locally. New Jersey was among 10 states given a pass from the NCLB standards, according to an announcement from President Barack Obama's administration Thursday, according to an article in The Huffington Post. "Right now we have to wait pleasantly for what would happen to each school in our district and across the state," LaSusa said. While the effect of the waiver on Chatham schools is yet unknown, LaSusa said, "clearly I think this is a validation of the governor's reform efforts." Two Chatham schools did not meet their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for students. …

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BOE President Recommends LaSusa as Superintendent [VIDEO]

The complete text of Tom Belding's speech to the Board of Education.

Editor's note: The following is the complete text of Board of Education President Tom Belding's remarks recommending Dr. Michael LaSusa for the position of superintendent for the School District of the Chathams. These remarks were made at the Jan. 9, 2012 Board of Education meeting held at Washington Avenue School.   For the past 18 months Dr. LaSusa has done an outstanding job as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction—the second ranking position in the District. Prior to that time, as most of you know, Mike was a teacher, supervisor, Dean of Students, and Principal in Chatham. Mike is a Phi Beta Kappa Summa Cum Laude graduate of Gettysburg College, and achieved a 4.0 average in his Doctoral program at Rutgers.  Throughout…

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BOE President: District 'Fortunate' to Have LaSusa

By a vote of 8-0, the assistant superintendent was named district's next superintendent.

The Board of Education voted Monday to approve a contract for Michael LaSusa to serve as superintendent of the School District of the Chathams, effective July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2016. The 8-0 vote (Board Member Richard Connors was absent) means LaSusa's career in the district, which has already spanned more than 11 years, will continue, and the district will be led by who Board President Tom Belding described as "a well-qualified, internal candidate." LaSusa joined the district as a Spanish and social studies teacher in September 2001 at Chatham High School. By July 2004, he was promoted to dean of students and acting supervisor of social studies, and two years later, was promoted again to co-principal. LaSusa became assistant …

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BOE to Vote on LaSusa for Superintendent

If approved, former co-principal of Chatham High to head the district next year.

The Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams will vote Monday night to appoint Michael LaSusa as the district's superintendent. If approved, LaSusa will assume the role left vacant by Jim O'Neill effective July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2016 at a salary of $167,500 per year. Board President Tom Belding told Chatham Patch in December that an advertisement for the position was posted internally within the district and a single candidate submitted an application. When the board decided to hire Dennis Fyffe as the interim superintendent for the School District of the Chathams in April, then-Board President Steve Barna said he would mentor LaSusa to permanently take over the role. LaSusa was made assistant superintendent for the…

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BOE to Interview Superintendent Candidate

The board posted the position internally.

Board of Education President Tom Belding said the board has posted an advertisement for the position of superintendent, in hopes to fill the roll permanently. "We posted the position internally and will be interviewing in executive session Monday night," Belding said. "As far as I am aware, application has been submitted by one candidate." When the board decided to hire Dennis Fyffe as the interim superintendent for the School District of the Chathams in April, then-Board President Steve Barna said he would mentor Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa to permanently take over the role. LaSusa was made assistant superintendent in 2010. Prior to that he was a co-principal at Chatham High School with Darren Groh. James O'Neill, the district…

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Chatham Fails to Meet No Child Left Behind Benchmarks

Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa said the program's benchmarks of 100 percent proficiency by 2014-15 is not realistic for 80 percent of schools in the country.

Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa said Monday the School District of the Chathams failed to meet its testing benchmarks under No Child Left Behind. Two schools in Chatham failed to meet their benchmarks for progress in test results. Lafayette Avenue School failed in their Language Arts testing for special education students, and Chatham Middle School failed to meet benchmarks in both Language Arts and Math testing for special education and Hispanic students. "The cornerstone of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is that every type of student in every school in the United States is tested and must make ... Adequate Yearly Progress, called AYP," LaSusa said. Testing in New Jersey is done in grades 3 through 8 and again in grade 11, LaSusa …

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Back to School 2011

A More Comprehensive Anti-Bullying Policy

Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa said the district's old policy is similar to the new state-mandated policy on bullying.

The Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams recently approved a new anti-bullying policy based on New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which Gov. Chris Christie signed into law in January. The law is seen as the toughest in the country and requires extensive reporting to administration and the Board of Education. Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa spoke at Chatham schools and to the PTOs earlier this year about the new policy. "We don't see the [new policy] as deviating too far from what we've done in the past," he told Chatham Patch. "The new law and our corresponding policy are more comprehensive in nature, but I do not believe they represent a significant departure from current case law or our district's past …

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School District Adopts New Anti-Bullying Policy

New state law requires that all districts comply with rules against intimidation, harassment and bullying, on and off school grounds

The Board of Education of the School District of the Chathams officially adopted on Monday a new policy on intimidation, harassment and bullying. Under a recently passed state law, all school districts are required to adopt such a policy, and Chatham school officials have been undergoing training on creating and upholding the policy. Assistant Superintendent Michael LaSusa said the district is required to adopt a policy and submit it to the county superintendent’s office by Sept. 1. “In a nutshell, the legal definition of intimidation, harassment and bullying has changed a little and our policy needs to reflect that,” LaSusa said. Since Gov. Chris Christie signed the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights earlier this summer, there have been ongoing…

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