The recent firings of two accomplished and respected teachers at the Warren County Vo-Tech call into question whether the current occupants of the Freeholder Board actually give a damn about the quality of education for our kids. "Chef" Joe Delesky and Dr. Andrew Discafani's unceremonious dismissals from their teaching positions at the Vo-Tech have caused a tsunami of shock, anger and resentment among students and parents alike. And for good reason. The firings of Delesky and Discafani were little more than a petty political payback of the worst order by insiders who take their marching orders from the Freeholders.
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As this scandal grew and ultimately became a prominent news story in the regional press, the Freeholders ably performed their impression of the three "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil" primates. While students, parents and alumni fought doggedly to have Delesky and Discafani reinstated, the Freeholders didn't have the guts to even comment, let alone step in and right this unconscionable wrong.
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The truth is that the Freeholders view our children as little more than pawns in their chess game of partisan political domination. This has never been more evident than the recent shell game the Freeholders played on Warren County taxpayers regarding the shifting of Vo-Tech funding from the county to local governments. No less than The Express-Times called the "three blind mice" on the carpet over this sad reality, stating:
Perhaps it's time for the community to start looking into the credentials of the Warren Tech school board. The only requirement seems to be a direct connection to the county freeholders, who appoint the board. The school board recently did the freeholders' bidding by shifting a large share of Warren Tech's tuition costs onto local school districts so that freeholders could brag about their tax-cutting prowess at election time.Express-Times, May 7, 2009
