Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 8, 2013 FLOW Area Trustees seek more information on laptop program by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education is doing more research and obtaining more information about the “1-to-1 Learning Initiative” the district plans to introduce at both high schools in the 2013-14 school year. Under this program, every student in the district would be provided a laptop for use at school and at home. The laptops would be leased over a four-year term with zero financing, according to Frank Ceurvels, the school district’s business administrator, and the program’s estimated $300,000 cost has been included in the district’s 2013 technology budget. The program has been a topic of discussion at several recent school board meetings. In response to a question raised by a member of the public, Superintendent Lauren Schoen advised that the implementation of this program “is not a done deal” and further discussion is needed. Schoen said John Chang, the district’s director of technology, is gathering details about the program and Beverly Mackay, the director of curriculum, has investigated the use of a non-profit organization that works with school districts on teacher training and proper implementation of the program. A full-day meeting with that organization was held recently and the district’s Technology Committee was scheduled to meet afterward to review the questions and concerns that have been raised about the program and to discuss a schedule for implementation. Some parents have questioned the expense of the initiative while other programs, such as the music program, are being cut. They have also voiced concerns about their children’s use of the computers in their homes where they might be used for bullying. They have also claimed that the program will not be successful unless the teachers get professional training on how to integrate the computers into day-to-day use in the classrooms. Besides the concerns of those parents, some objections to the program have been raised by the Ramapo Indian Hills Education Association, which represents the teachers in the district. (continued on page 16) The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education is seeking two interim administrators to temporarily replace Superintendent Lauren Schoen and Indian Hills High School Principal Albert Evangelista. Schoen will be leaving the district on May 15 to become the superintendent of the Mahwah School District. Evangelista will be retiring at the end of this school year. At a recent public meeting, School Board President Lynn Budd provided information about the board’s plan to replace the administrators in response to a question posed by a member of the public. Budd said the board has advertised within the district for a candidate who has the proper certification to become the interim principal to serve in that capacity until the hire of a permanent superintendent, who will then recommend the appointment of a permanent principal. Board to hire interim administrators Budd also said the board has contacted several search firms to find an interim superintendent until a search for a permanent superintendent can be undertaken. Under state law, a superintendent or school administrator who has been retired for more than 120 days can contract with a school district, usually on a per diem basis. The retiree could serve for one year with an option for a second year if approved by the commissioner of education, which would be the maximum an interim could serve without canceling and later reenrolling in the pension plan. An interim administrator, however, continues to receive his or her pension payments and benefits while he or she is an interim administrator, according to Michael Yaple, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. Educators do not receive any additional benefits while they (continued on page 30)