Long ago we promised to revisit the intriguing occurrence of board members voting against allowing teachers to attend training or professional development.   

Time got away from us but here is the information!    

The people who have been regularly voting NO on these trainings, are Board members, Ann Colucci, Christopher Milde, Sharon MacGregor, and Kathy Purcell.   

MacGregor and Milde were elected in 2022, and started their term in the beginning of 2023, which is when these votes against professional development started. Colucci and Purcell were already on the board and previously did not vote against staffs’ professional development.   

Both Milde and MacGregor were endorsed by Moms for Liberty (M4L) when they ran in 2022. Colucci, and the members sworn in this January, Valerie Galdieri and Milo Bonillo, denied M4L endorsements, but had significant involvement by M4L locals in their 2023 campaign, as well as had several aligned views with M4L.  

Purcell is running for re-election this year, and appears to have aligned with our local M4L, even sharing a photo with the Morris County Chair of M4L on their campaign Facebook account.  

Below we have outlined each board meeting with NO votes from 2023 to 2024, and the professional development opportunities that were voted against.  

In 2023, since the people voting no were the minority, these items still passed, and staff were able to attend their training.  This year, we have gotten close to the NO votes being a majority. Should more BOE members be elected that are against these professional development opportunities, it is likely our district staff will be unable to attend these trainings.  It’s important to clarify as well that these are not training that staff pick on their own and get added to the BOE agenda, they have to get approval from their department chair, then the principal, then the superintendent before it’s added to the BOE agenda.

We could not find any NO votes for any professional development prior to 2023.  Since the M4L backed members started joining, there have been 66 NO votes.  These include programs regarding teaching STEAM to girls, anti-bullying programs, and social emotional learning services, as well as a leadership conference for superintendent, math and engineering conferences and various programs geared toward helping students with disruptive behaviors. Many of which were at no, or very little cost to the district. 

The pattern certainly appears to show that these BOE members are denying professional development opportunities in those key areas that M4L has set targets on.

You can see the minutes of the meetings here. We tried to link all trainings to websites for the reader to learn more about them.   

Here is the timeline:  

1/23/23  

MacGregor voted NO for a HS special education teacher to attend the following –  

#14 – NJCEC’s Annual Spring Conference: Embracing the Whole Child-Promoting Social Emotional Learning (description -The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.)

2/13/23   

Macgregor, Milde and Purcell voted NO for a special education teacher attending the same conferences listed above.  

#17 – NJCEC’s Annual Spring Conference: Embracing the Whole Child-Promoting Social Emotional Learning  

3/6/23   

MacGregor and Milde voted no on #3,  8,  9   

3-was a NO vote for a principal to attend – School Support Network – School Culture & Climate Initiative, Patrick Fennell Presentation. (Description – “Using SEL to See and Connect Beyond Disruptive Behaviors” PowerPoint, SCCI PowerPoint, Recording) 

8-9 – a NO vote for both a principal and guidance counselor to attend  “From Survival to Success Try the Three C’s” NJASECD (NJ Alliance for Social, Emotional Learning) Annual Conference 

3/20/23  

MacGregor and Milde -NO #10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18  

10-14- A NO vote for an elementary school teacher, two principals, and a guidance counselor to attend “From Survival to Success Try the Three C’s” NJASECD (NJ Alliance for Social, Emotional Learning) Annual Conference 

16-18 - A NO vote for two math teachers, and assistant superintendent to attend NJAFPA 2023 Annual Spring Conference: Building Engaging Schools (description – NJ Association of Federal Program Administrators- Our mission is to provide leadership and support to federal program administrators for the implementation of effective educational programs that promote equity and excellence for all students).    

5/8/23  

Colucci – NO # 1, MacGregor- NO #1,3,6, Milde- NO #2, 6  

1- A NO vote for superintendent to attend NJASA/NJAPSA Annual Spring Leadership Conference 2023  

2- A NO vote for a Dorney park field trip.

3- A NO vote for a guidance counselor to attend NJASECD (NJ Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development) Conference at Rider U  

6 – NO vote for an assistant principal to attend NJASECD (NJ Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development) Conference at Rider U     

6/12/23  

Colucci, MacGregor and Milde NO on #5  

5 – a NO vote for assistant superintendent to attend  AMTNJFallConference: Equity in Action:Building MathematicalThinking  

8/21/23  

MacGregor and Milde, NO to #12  

This was not training, but a NO vote to the following.   

Resolution 12 - RESOLVED, that the Roxbury Township Board of Education approve the purchase from Amy Rubin of MindfulSELFF, 53 Alcrest Ave., Budd Lake, NJ of Mindfulness Consulting services for the 2023-2024 School Year as per MindfulSELFF Quote #1-3070 in the total amount of $34,725.00. The $29,175.00 is funded through Title II and $5,550.00 is funded through ARP ESSER Mental Health Support for Staff.  AND BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution supersedes and amends Finance Resolution #26 originally approved on July 17, 2023  

Both had voted yes when this was on the agenda from July 17, 2023, we are unsure as to the reason for the change in vote-   

*26. RESOLVED, that the Roxbury Township Board of Education approve the purchase from Amy Rubin of MindfulSELFF, 53 Alcrest Ave., Budd Lake, NJ of Mindfulness Consulting services for the 2023-2024 School Year as per MindfulSELFF Quote #1-3070 in the total amount of $34,725.00 and funded through a combination of Title II and ARP ESSERMental Health Support for Staff)  

10/16/23 

Colucci, MacGregor, Milde – NO to #1-4,  20, 21  

Purcell -NO 1-3, 20, 21  

1- A NO vote for a PE/Health Teacher to attend Helping Youth Thrive, Teaching Sex Ed  

2- A NO vote for a PE/Health Teacher to attend Helping Youth Thrive, Teaching Sex Ed   

3- A NO vote for a School Counselor to attend –  NJSCA (NJ School Counselor Association)Fall Conference  

4- A NO vote for a 2nd grade teacher to attend- NJ Science Convention  

20- A NO vote for a Supervisor of Social Studies, and World Languages to attend Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Engineering Inclusion  

21- A NO vote for a Social Studies Teacher to attend – Gender, Sexuality, & Colonialism; Freedom Summer – Rutgers  

11/13/23  

Colucci, MacGregor, Milde, Purcell – No to #2 in resolution 7  

#2 was a NO vote for a social studies teacher to attend – Gender, Sexuality, & Colonialism; Freedom Summer – Rutgers  

4/29/24  

Colucci, MacGregor, Milde, Purcell NO to #3  

3- a NO vote for HS librarian to attend NJ Library Association Conference (interestingly, it’s been mentioned to us, that BOE member Milde way be in a relationship with one of the women who is currently in litigation with the HS librarian, if so, he should have recused himself from this vote).  

7/22/24 

Colucci, MacGregor, NO to item #1   

1-Dr. Seipp NJ Gain in Morristown 7/26 (NJ Gain is described as a professional development network of educational leaders supporting one another in the work driving student “grading, assessment, and instructional reform” across the state of New Jersey)

Denying staff the opportunity to attend requested professional development is certainly not going to help improve teacher retention in Roxbury. Hopefully this trend will end, and our staff will not be denied the opportunity to attend professional development. We will keep you updated!