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Superintendent Contract Extended with Debate
By Ambrose Bierce, Editor
By a 6-3 vote, the Hillside Board of Education voted to extend the contract of its Superintendent, Dr. Raymond Bandlow, for an additional two years.
Several board members, however, questioned the Superintendent's timing: his current contract is not up for another two years.
But the Superintendent believed that now was the time for him and the board to make a "long-term commitment" for the district.
Under the direction of Bandlow, the district has established elementary "magnet schools" and College Preparatory Schools at the high school.
The magnets allow parents the option of choosing a school for their child, while the prep schools provide skilled and talented students the opportunity to further their studies while still in high school.
Inadequate funding from the state has stagnated the growth of some of these initiatives.
Bandlow has been committed to challenging the status quo in education in order to provide Hillside students with the best possible education.
The district, however, has not been without its faults.
Although Bandlow has continued the trend of reversing once falling test scores, improvement has only been in the single digit percentages - which many find "unimpressive".
The Superintendent's contract was slightly changed from its previous version. The Board eliminated several benefits which will save the district at least $7,000 annually. The sum does not include other savings from cuts to other perks.
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