Rappaport is Mat-Ab school psychologist

MATAWAN — The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District Board of Education has approved the placement of former Supervisor of Special Services Helen Rappaport as a school psychologist.

Rappaport, a 30-year veteran of the school district, was removed from her supervisor's post at a November Board of Education meeting upon the recommendation of Schools Superintendent Richard O'Malley.

"This recommendation is not based on Ms. Rappaport's performance, it is about moving this district forward," he said at the Nov. 17 meeting. "This is not about the person, it is about the position."

O'Malley recommended Rappaport for her a new position.

As a school psychologist, Rappaport will earn a salary of approximately $107,000, effective Jan. 5 through June 30.

According to documents obtained from the district through an Open Public Records Request, Rappaport earned $126,700 for the 2007-2008 school year as the supervisor of special services for the district.

According to O'Malley, Rappaport has not been present at work since school resumed after winter break.

"Ms. Rappaport has been out on sick leave and she has presented the district with the appropriate documentation," O'Malley stated in an e-mail. He declined to comment further.

As for what will happen to Rappaport's caseload, students under her guidance have been reassigned.

According to the district's job description, as school psychologist, Rappaport will be responsible for assessing "referred students through appropriate testing and diagnostic practices; [administering] tests, and, as part of the child study team, recommend programs and services for students who are eligible; [conferring] with teachers and parents whenever necessary to ensure the best possible school and home environment for students; and [participating] in developing individual education plan programs.

Board of Education Attorney Michael Gross, of Kenney Gross Kovats and Campbell, Red Bank, said that he was aware of legal actions filed against the district by Rappaport's attorney David Nash, of the New Jersey Principals and Administrators Association, Monroe Township.

"The district is defending the board's actions from the November meeting," Gross said. "I am aware that Ms. Rappaport's attorney has filed multiple cases."

Gross also said that Rappaport was employed as a director of special services at some point with the district, but that changed.

A phone call to Nash's office was unreturned.

"She was employed as a director at some point until her title had to be changed because she did not have proper certification for director," Gross said.

The district appointed an interim director of special services at the Jan. 12 board committee of the whole meeting.

By a 7-1 vote, Michael Lake, former superintendent of the Neptune Township School District, was hired at a rate of $500 per day for four days a week from Jan. 13 through April 8.

According to a resolution authorizing a reduction in force, Rappaport's position of supervisor of special services was eliminated at the end of 2008, and the position of director of special services was established.

During the board's discussion, Board of Education member Dr. Thomas Gambino explained why Rappaport's title could not simply be changed from supervisor to director.

"A director has a master's degree in administration, and this supervisor does not have the authority to oversee the child study team under New Jersey administrative codes," he said.

According to the New Jersey Department of Education Web site, "The supervisor endorsement is required for both supervisors of instruction and athletic directors who do not hold a standard principal's endorsement. The supervisor shall be defined as any school officer who is charged with authority and responsibility for the continuing direction and guidance of the work of instructional personnel. This endorsement also authorizes appointment as an assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum and/or instruction."

A director, according to the Monmouth County Office of the DOE, holds different certifications.

"A director has a recognized principal's endorsement or a school administrator certificate," explained Donna Pesce of the certificate department of the county DOE.

The DOE Web site lists a principal's endorsement as "required for any position that involves service as an administrative officer of a school or other comparable unit within a school or district."

Similarly, a school administrator certificate is defined as being "required for any position that involves services as a districtlevel administrative officer."