Board Biographies on the District Website: Issues of Responsibility, Accuracy & Propriety
- Kathie Schwartz
- Jul 17, 2023
- 4 min read
What is the responsibility of the District to verify personal information and statements of opinion posted on the district website by school board members?
Below are links to Ms. Sullivan’s Bio on the district website. There are several factual misrepresentations and inaccuracies, as well as some ‘opinions’ she purports to hold, which reads more like a campaign platform.
1. In Ms. Sullivan’s biography she states she is "a corporate and commercial litigation lawyer practicing in New York and New Jersey” – In her 2023 School Board financial disclosure filed for the 2022 calendar year, Ms. Sullivan shows no revenue as an attorney, so this appears to be a misleading statement.
2. In Ms. Sullivan’s biography she states "she is also a professor at several local universities and colleges, teaching law and humanities courses" – In her public Linkedin profile, Ms. Sullivan presents herself as an adjunct at Ramapo College and Felician University. Her 2021, 2022 and 2023 School Ethic’s Commission Financial Disclosure Statements do not show any revenue from Ramapo College. Her 2021 to 2023 financial disclosure forms do show revenue from Sussex Community College and Felician University, but nothing from Ramapo College. Which public representation is factual?
3. In Ms. Sullivan’s biography she states "of late, she was recently made a Fulbright Scholar Specialist (only 400 in the nation) and a Public Scholar for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities” – Again in her public Linkedin profile Ms. Sullivan represents that she was made a Fulbright Scholar Specialist in 2015 (8 years ago), and a Public Scholar for the New Jersey Council for Humanities in 2018 (5 years ago). These are not "of late" nor "recent".
4. In Ms. Sullivan’s biography she states she "believes the emotional integrity of our students is of the highest of priorities, as is transparency for Board operation and governance, and meaningful public participation. She is a strong proponent of democracy incubation at schools and often contributes ideas and goals for our students' future readiness based on her experiences as an international lawyer.” Here are a few examples that are in direct contradiction to Ms. Sullivan’s statements:
(a) With respect to “Transparency for Board operation and governance,” Ms. Sullivan (1) led her majority walk in numerous motions without consulting the Superintendent and the rest of the board and with strong circumstantial evidence of violations of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), (2) withheld legal advice from sitting board members, (3) negotiated contracts behind the Superintendent’s back, (4) led her majority to vote down minutes of public Board meetings to force the Business Administrator to change the minutes behind the scenes (via email) in support her majority’s false narratives (again in violation of OPMA), (5) prevented the Business Administrator from reading his report and from speaking at the board table, and (6) she told a reporter she changed a Board Policy three days after a Board meeting which is false as she cannot single handedly change Board Policy (as that can only happen by vote of the full Board). These are just a few examples of behaviors which do not represent transparency of governance.
(b) With respect to “Meaningful public participation” - Ms. Sullivan (1) brought frivolous criminal charges against a member of the public for speaking up at Board meetings, (2) threatened slander and libel charges against another member of the community, and (3) allowed her vice president and other board members to publicly defame members of the community from the board table. These are just a few examples of Ms. Sullivan’s efforts to chill public participation, which belie her representation that she supports it.
(c) With respect to “proponent of democracy incubation” - Ms. Sullivan (1) voted against the acquisition of tools for the Superintendent and his staff to capture diverse perspectives and facilitate meaningful conversations, effectively demonstrating to students how differing viewpoints can be shared, respected, and used to shape decision-making processes, (2) did not support the formation of student clubs that would encourage the sharing of diverse viewpoints, such as the Democratic Club and the Women's Empowerment Club. These clubs could provide students with valuable opportunities to engage with democratic processes and discussions, and (3) disregarded the Superintendent's recommendations on over 20 Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying cases suggesting a level of tolerance for behaviors that fundamentally undermine democratic principles of respect, equality, and safety. Each of these actions raises questions about the consistency between Ms. Sullivan’s stated commitment to democracy incubation and her actual decisions. It's crucial for our educational leaders to not only talk about democratic values but also to reflect them in their actions.
I understand that Board members can represent themselves however they wish to voters in their campaign materials. However, why is the District hosting personal statements like this on the district website? Doing so could be seen as inadvertently endorsing misleading and inaccurate narratives, causing a further deterioration in community trust and a loss of credibility of the district's communications. Board policy does not state Board member biographies be included on the District website. In fact, of the 71 school districts in Bergen county, only 8 other districts include BOE member biographies on their websites, and of those districts the biographies focus largely on personal background, professional qualifications, and past experiences without sharing strong personal philosophies or specific goals like those present in Ms. Sullivan’s biography and those of several other RIH Board members.
I will share this with the board to ask: What is the responsibility of the District when it comes to Board members using the district website for personal statements?
Links to Ms. Sullivan's archived bios are here:
July 2023:
November 2022: https://web.archive.org/web/20221129174553/https://www.rih.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=238065&pageId=7706221
