Wall School Board Fields Questions on Former Superintendent Scandal

By Rebecca Henely 

Shortly after the Wall Board of Education recognized her 21 years at Wall Intermediate School, outgoing teacher Christine Clarizo called for more transparency in wake of indictments charging former Superintendent James F. Habel with bilking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the district.

“How could that have been permitted?” Clarizo asked. “How can the board offer such extraordinary compensation to that individual for two contracts?”

Clarizo was one of several retirees who the board and principals of the district’s seven schools acknowledged as part of its final monthly meeting for the 2012-2013 school year. While the board’s first half of the meeting was dedicated to honoring the retirees – as well as the teachers of the year, top 10 students at Wall High School and the girls softball team’s championship win – the public comment section in the latter half often came back to the recent scandal.

Habel, 56, who resigned from Wall Schools in June 2012, allegedly deliberately misreported his vacation time, getting the district to pay him upwards of $360,000 he was not entitled to, according to an indictment from the Monmouth County prosecutor’s office. He faces charges of official misconduct, money laundering, theft, falsifying records and stealing a district iPad, to which he has pled not guilty. 

Anticipating questions about the indictment, Board President Eva Applegate read the board’s previously released statement before the meeting’s public comment period, which states the board is cooperating with the investigation and could not address any of the public’s questions about it.

Board of Education Attorney Michael Gross also reiterated that board could be restrained from speaking about several subjects by law, such as the hiring and performance of employees.

“Given the circumstances and given the headlines of the local papers and blogs, I wanted to make sure you understood that,” Gross said.

Nevertheless, speakers expressed a need for more transparency from the school board.

“There’s just too many problems here,” said resident Betsy Cross, “and I just have a hard time believing that nobody knew this was going on.”

Some residents also mourned members of the district who were leaving. Resident Allison Penkethman said she had collected several signatures for a petition to reinstate Mary Jane Garibay as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction.

 Clarizo also said she would miss current Superintendent Daniel D. Simon Sr., who is leaving to become principal of Colts Neck High School.

“I question how a board of education can roll over for everything James Habel asked for yet throw obstacles at proposals by honorable people such as Dan Simon and Mary Jane Garibay,” she said.

Simon said in response that he was proud of his accomplishments on the board and he was confident that incoming Interim Superintendent Stephanie Bilenker would be able to continue the progress he and others had made in the district.

“I’ve met and worked with great people, passionate parents who want what’s best for their child and a community that’s beginning to come together,” he said.