Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 7, 2012 Board removes name from administration building (continued from page 7) Trustee Jane Castor voted against approving the resolution after asking the board to delay any action on the issue until the board looks more closely at a policy for naming district facilities. Trustee Sadie Quinlan abstained, explaining that she was on the board when the building was named after Saxton but she understands the sentiment of this board. Trustee Robert Gebhard was not present at the meeting. Two members of the public questioned the reasons stated in the resolution for removing Saxton’s name. Craig Urciuoli, a member of the Franklin Lakes Board of Education, said he was disappointed that the board did not explain its reasons, or offer its opinions on the resolution at a previous meeting he attended. He also asked why it took four years to create a naming policy and why Saxton’s name is being removed before the board creates that policy. Thomas Madigan, a former member of the regional school board, urged the board to table the resolution, claiming that it disregards the reasons the board named the building after Saxton. Madigan said the superintendent was responsible for “historic changes” in the district. He explained that, through Saxton’s leadership, the district received $22 million in state funding for building renovations. Madigan emphasized that the former board held a full discussion on the naming of the building and that board decided 7-2 that the authority to do so rested with the board and a policy was not required. He also pointed out that other facilities in the district have been named after former employees without any policy in place. Madigan alleged that removing Saxton’s name is “clearly personal and punitive,” explaining that Belsky and former board president Wayne Peterson were members of the board that approved naming the building after Saxton, although Belsky and Peterson opposed that decision. Board member Thomas Bunting responded, however, that his support of the resolution is not personal or punitive. He said the district has spent “way too much money” on a lawsuit Saxton filed against the district seeking payment of the unused sick and vacation days he accumulated prior to his retirement. “If even one child is without growth in education (because of that legal expense) we should take his name off the building,” Bunting said. The lawsuit Bunting mentioned is scheduled for a court hearing on March 12. Saxton also filed a lawsuit against Belsky for slander and libel based on comments he made about Saxton’s performance as superintendent when the board named the building after him in 2008. But that lawsuit was dismissed by Superior Court Judge Robert L Polifroni in December 2011. The judge ruled that Saxton’s lawsuit did not meet the “clear and convincing” standard required for defamation, which is that the defendant’s statements were knowingly false or made with a reckless disregard for the truth. Belsky explained his support for the resolution, stating, “It is a matter of public record that the relationship between Mr. Saxton and the district became adversarial following his retirement from the district. This situation highlights the problem with naming a district facility without the sufficient passage of time to enable the board to make a more informed decision based on events that may transpire subsequent to the employee’s retirement from the district.” Belsky also addressed Madigan’s earlier suggestion that removing Saxton’s name from the building is an “unprecedented affront” to the service of former board members. “It is not uncommon for actions of prior boards to be reversed or modified by subsequent boards,” Belsky said. “This happens when long serving coaches are not reappointed or when the curriculum is changed. Perhaps the best and most recent example of this is the elimination of certain of the University Programs that were initiated and maintained by earlier serving boards.” Saxton responded to the board’s action saying he was saddened and disheartened by the board decision to remove his name from the administration building. “While they can remove my name from the building I will never remove the district from my heart,” he said. “Many of my fondest memories of my 40 years in education were the 11 years and four months I spent at Ramapo Indian Hills and all the accomplishments that the board, the staff, the community and I completed during that time represents something we all can be proud of because we advanced the district in great strides not only in facilities but in terms of academic standards, and the development of a solid professional development program.” Saxton said he did not understand why the names were not being removed from all the district facilities that have been named after former employees over the years if the lack of a policy for naming district facilities is the board’s concern. “It appears I’m the only one targeted,” he said.