Familiar
faces among Warren Hills teacher lineup
Saturday, June 11, 2005 • By
ANDREA EILENBERGER • The
Express-Times
The Warren Hills Regional School District
will see some new faces next year and some old faces in new
places, as the board of education filled six positions at
its meeting Tuesday night.
"I think we got some good teachers, with
a good blend of experienced and new teachers," district
Superintendent Pete Merluzzi said. "Some we know, some
taught in neighboring communities and some worked with us in
coaching positions."
Patricia Hetrick was with the district
for six years as both a psychology and English teacher. She
will take the helm as assistant principal of the high school
for the 2005-2006 school year at the end of August with a
salary of $84,000.
Kimberly Waters will take on the
Hetrick's former role as psychology teacher next year,
pending certification, with a salary of $43,380. Next school
year will be her first as a teacher.
Jarrett Hosbach will serve as an
alternative education teacher in the high school next year
with an annual salary of $45,580. Merluzzi said Hosbach is a
new teacher to the district, but was an assistant wrestling
coach last year and was recently approved as head coach. He
formerly taught in the Phillipsburg school
district.
Joanne Huffman will return to the
district next year as a high school math teacher at a salary
of $52,010. She formerly taught in the district but left to
work in the Belvidere School District, Merluzzi
said.
Chris Walker, who is replacing a retiring
health and physical education teacher in the high school, is
new to the district but taught in the Hackettstown School
District for about 13 years, Merluzzi said. He will also
coach basketball. His salary will be $62,180.
Jeremy Willis joins the district as the
high school Industrial Arts teacher with a salary of
$44,780.
High school Principal Tim O'Brien said he
and other administrators and department supervisors looked
for "the best possible individuals who would serve as role
models and instructors for students."
O'Brien said that in light of two former
Warren Hills teachers being accused of inappropriate
relations with students, administrators hired candidates
they believe they can trust to adhere to the rules of the
state and the school.
"We assume the people we hire are going
to be professional and mature," he said. "The issues weren't
in the forefront of our minds, but we don't hire based on
whether or not teachers will comply with policy."
John Kurdilla, a former Warren Hills gym
teacher, was charged with supplying alcohol for a student
prom party last year. He was also charged with offering
alcoholic beverages to the three minor students and four
other high school students who were then under the state's
legal drinking age.
Kurdilla's arrest stemmed from an
investigation that led to the arrest of Jon Lesher, a former
Warren Hills wrestling coach. The charges against Lesher,
28, included providing alcohol to a 17-year-old Warren Hills
girl on the day of last year's prom. He was also charged
with providing alcohol to three underage former Warren Hills
students.
Lesher also allegedly sent sexually
explicit text messages to a then 17-year-old female
student.
Both men entered into a pretrial program
intervention program, and charges are pending successful
completion of the program.
Karen Graf, vice president of the board
of education, said she thinks the administration has always
completed a thorough review of candidates and made the right
decisions when hiring, and would have had no way of
foreseeing the recent events.
"Sometimes individuals on the job make
bad choices," she said. "That's not something that could
have been predicted."
New teachers undergo a three-day
orientation process, and Merluzzi said he plans to spend
more time discussing teacher behavior.
"In light of recent issues we are making
a strong emphasis with the new and also with the present
staff about ethics and student-teacher relationships,"
O'Brien said.
He said besides the new teacher
orientation, faculty meetings will include presentations and
discussions regarding teacher-student relations.
Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at
908-475-8044 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
|