Another fiery editorial which appeared in the APP. "You can't fault a guy for asking for a raise. But you sure as heck can fault the people who give someone a 25 percent pay hike on the taxpayer's dime in the midst of the worst economy since the Depression. That's what the Lakewood Board of Education did last week in voting unanimously, no less, to increase board attorney Michael Inzelbuch's hourly rate from a not-so-frugal $200 per hour to $250 per hour. Two weeks earlier, voters rejected the district's $138 million budget by a 5-1 margin. The district is preparing to lay off 36 teachers, two child-study team members and one paraprofessional next year. There is no way for the board to spin Inzelbuch's raise. But that hasn't stopped it from trying. In defense of the pay hike, board members said other attorneys working for the board charge up to $400 per hour, and Inzelbuch charges more than $250 per hour in private practice. See? The rate of $250 per hour is a bargain. Hardly. The one other firm that applied for Inzelbuch's job offered to do it for about $200 an hour. And the rates paid board attorneys in many school districts are far lower than even Inzelbuch's pre-raise hourly rate. Some board members tried to explain their vote by throwing every "the dog ate my homework" excuse against the wall and seeing what stuck. "I was duped," said Jonathan Silver, who was elected this year on a platform of fiscal responsibility. Perhaps recognizing it wasn't a good idea to let voters know he was so easily hornswoggled, he also mentioned he voted for the raise largely to avoid confrontation during his first board meeting. Was he elected on a platform of fiscal responsibility or a platform of not ruffling any feathers? Other board members claim they got confused because the meeting was rushed and the agenda was vague. That's more bad news for overwrought Lakewood taxpayers: They have elected a school board without a single member who can raise a hand and say, "Hang on a second. Explain to us what we're voting for here." Superintendent Eugenia Lawson said retracting the raise would offer no real relief to the staff reductions. Maybe not. But there is no excuse for granting that kind of increase when the district is laying off other employees. The board should attempt to redeem itself by asking Inzelbuch to forego his raise, apologizing to the taxpayers and teachers facing layoffs for their insensitivity and shopping around next year for attorneys who won't break the bank".
Showing posts with label Michael Inzelbuch Gets Raise Board Of Ed Lakewood NJ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Inzelbuch Gets Raise Board Of Ed Lakewood NJ. Show all posts
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Inzelbuch's Folly Draws Public Ire, Editorial Fire
Another fiery editorial which appeared in the APP. "You can't fault a guy for asking for a raise. But you sure as heck can fault the people who give someone a 25 percent pay hike on the taxpayer's dime in the midst of the worst economy since the Depression. That's what the Lakewood Board of Education did last week in voting unanimously, no less, to increase board attorney Michael Inzelbuch's hourly rate from a not-so-frugal $200 per hour to $250 per hour. Two weeks earlier, voters rejected the district's $138 million budget by a 5-1 margin. The district is preparing to lay off 36 teachers, two child-study team members and one paraprofessional next year. There is no way for the board to spin Inzelbuch's raise. But that hasn't stopped it from trying. In defense of the pay hike, board members said other attorneys working for the board charge up to $400 per hour, and Inzelbuch charges more than $250 per hour in private practice. See? The rate of $250 per hour is a bargain. Hardly. The one other firm that applied for Inzelbuch's job offered to do it for about $200 an hour. And the rates paid board attorneys in many school districts are far lower than even Inzelbuch's pre-raise hourly rate. Some board members tried to explain their vote by throwing every "the dog ate my homework" excuse against the wall and seeing what stuck. "I was duped," said Jonathan Silver, who was elected this year on a platform of fiscal responsibility. Perhaps recognizing it wasn't a good idea to let voters know he was so easily hornswoggled, he also mentioned he voted for the raise largely to avoid confrontation during his first board meeting. Was he elected on a platform of fiscal responsibility or a platform of not ruffling any feathers? Other board members claim they got confused because the meeting was rushed and the agenda was vague. That's more bad news for overwrought Lakewood taxpayers: They have elected a school board without a single member who can raise a hand and say, "Hang on a second. Explain to us what we're voting for here." Superintendent Eugenia Lawson said retracting the raise would offer no real relief to the staff reductions. Maybe not. But there is no excuse for granting that kind of increase when the district is laying off other employees. The board should attempt to redeem itself by asking Inzelbuch to forego his raise, apologizing to the taxpayers and teachers facing layoffs for their insensitivity and shopping around next year for attorneys who won't break the bank".
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Inzelbuch Raise Continues To Make News
As The Lakewood Scoop reported here last Friday, Board Of Ed Attorney Michael Inzelbuch was granted a $50/hour raise, bringing it to a total of $250/hour. The app is now reporting the story with some more detail. School Board Attorney Michael Inzelbuch received a 25 percent raise last week, igniting ire among some as the district prepares for further staff layoffs and faces a voter-rejected tax-rate increase. The Board of Education voted unanimously April 29 to increase Inzelbuch's pay from $200 to $250 per hour, although afterward several members complained of not having enough information to vote intelligently. "I was duped,'' said Jonathan Silver, who was elected this year on a platform of fiscal responsibility. He added that he voted for the raise largely to avoid confrontation during his first board meeting … something he now regretted. He and others claim that the vote on the appointments and re-appointments of more than a dozen professionals and consultants at the reorganization meeting was rushed and the agenda vague. For example, there was no comparison listed of Inzelbuch's previous fees to show the increase. "I'm embarrassed to say I wasn't aware,'' member Leonard Thomas said by phone this week. "To say the least, with some of the challenges the board is having and the staffing problems, I am a little discouraged that there was a raise at this time.'' Despite the large increase, Inzelbuch's fees remain below those of other attorneys hired by the district, some of whom are charging $400 per hour or more. Yet the one other firm that vied for Inzelbuch's job offered to do it for about $200 an hour. "When you're laying off teachers, it's preposterous that something like that would be approved,'' said Bill Hobday, a senior resident. "Sacrifices need to be made at the top of the ladder, too,'' said NAACP leader Jim Waters. You can read the entire article here.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Change! Michael Inzelbuch Gets Raise
On Wednesday, the Board Of Ed voted in favor of a $50/ hour raise for Board Of Ed Attorney, Michael Inzelbuch, bringing it from $200/hour, to a whopping $250 an hour. Newcomer Yoni Silver and the rest of the board voted unanimously on the raise, which caused quite a bit of shock amongst Silver supporters. The Lakewood Scoop brought up the question to a LAC member. He told The Lakewood Scoop, that it was unclear form the agenda that they were to vote on a raise, rather it seemed they were voting on a simple Reinstating of contracts.
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