“They lurch from crisis to crisis, in management, in governance, stable governance, support from the community and so forth,” said David Sciarra, director of the New Jersey Education Law Center, which monitors many districts and their operational issues. “There are a few districts like Asbury Park and they tend to be small ones where the community and the school board and the administration over a period of time just can’t seem to get organized to make sure they are using all of the resources they have.”

Tonight Asbury Park School Board has its monthly public meeting. Here are a few issues we’ve been following that validate Sciarra’s concerns.

• On the agenda tonight is the promotion of LaShawn Gibson from “Director of Human Resources” to “Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Daily Operations”:

Why would Superintendent Rashawn Adams promote Gibson to an assistant superintendency in a district the size of a high schools (1,600 total enrollment)?

Maybe Gibson got her superintendent’s certification and the new title will smooth the way for a higher slot either in Asbury or elsewhere. Will she get a raise along with her elevated title? While school board agendas typically include salaries of new appointments, there is no information available. Last year she received $158,000 in annual salary plus $5,000 to be the Affirmative Action officer.

This is the way it works in Asbury when one is deemed worthy of what Asbury Park staff members call the “Repollet Tree.” In January of last year NJ Ed Report noted that Gibson “is a Kean University graduate who, a source tells me, will move up the Superintendent Ladder, one of many Kean alumni now working in Asbury Park.” (Gov. Phil Murphy chose Repollet as his first Education Commissioner; now Repollet is president of Kean.)

• Also on the community’s radar: Insiders continue to worry about what they say is a lack of consequences for Troy Bowers, Athletic Director.

At last month’s meeting, one agenda item was “Reappointment List for 2023-2024: Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, that the Board approves the attached list of staff to be reappointed and to receive contracts for the 2023-2024 school year, effective July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.” While the list wasn’t available to the public, several Board members tried to separate out Bowers from the list of reappointments out of concern for what some call habitual bullying of students. Three examples: last February a student was playing basketball and Bowers said, “go back to your little apartment” and “you can’t even make a foul shot.” The conversation then turned profane. In another incident Bowers told a young girl that he “makes more money than both her parents put together.” When a student spoke up at a school board meeting, I was told, Bowers called the student at home and said,  “keep my name out your mouth.” 

Board member Barbara Lesinski tried to stop this attempt to vote separately on Bowers, claiming this was not permitted (it is) and Bowers was reappointed.

Well, even a tiny district needs someone in charge of athletics, right? Turns out Asbury Park has two: Mark Gerbino held that post until he made Adams’ black list when, according to a staff survey, the majority of teachers wanted the school board to appoint Gerbino, then the district’s Athletic Director, as superintendent instead of Adams. In a fit of pique, say teachers, Adams first put Gerbino on leave with pay, then demoted him to “Administrator on Special Assignment” and hired Bowers.

Gerbino, of course, still makes his $162,429, about $33,000 less than Adams makes.

• Lastly, Carole Morris, who for a decade has served as Asbury Park’s state-appointed Fiscal Monitor, departed last month.

There has been no reappointment announced by the state Department of Education.

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