Lacey Superintendent, Charged With Hiding Sex-Abuse Case, Is Suspended Without Pay

LACEY, NJ -- The Lacey Board of Education suspended Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower without pay Friday evening, nearly a week after she was indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury.

Four board members voted to suspend Brower, 46, after she was charged with second-degree official misconduct, third-degree hindering apprehension and fourth-degree obstruction. Board members Eric Schubinger, Jack Martenak and Linda Downing abstained during the special meeting due to conflicts of interest because of family members who work for the district.

“It’s a sad turn of events what happened here. I’m sick to my stomach. I’ve been that way since day one,” board member Frank Palino said. “It’s a hard thing to do what we did here. I feel bad for this district, and I feel bad for our taxpayers. This is just not good, and we don’t like it either.”

Brower, who did not attend the special board meeting Friday night, has been accused of failing to immediately report a teacher's possible sexual assault of a 4-year-old student while she was Wall Township's assistant superintendent.

Brower pleaded not guilty to the three charges brought against her Monday afternoon. No bail was set, and Brower was released. She is scheduled to appear in court again at 1:30 p.m. June 10.

The Board of Education could not lawfully terminate Brower at this time, as they are bound by prohibitive legal standards, board Attorney Arthur Stein said. The outcome of the case will determine whether there is a basis to discuss termination.

“We had no authority at this point to terminate her,” he said. “If she’s acquitted, the board will have to look at the overall circumstances and make a judgment whether there’s any basis to do anything further.”

Gaston Fischot of Forked River called on Brower to resign, as the board would not be penalized if she chose to do so.

“In front of the public in Lacey Township, I’m going to call on Dr. Brower to resign and put this behind us so that we can move on and get a new superintendent,” he said to applause.

Last week, the Lacey school board placed Brower on administrative leave, with pay. While she is now suspended without pay, she will continue to receive medical insurance through the district. The district pays approximately $1,129 a month for coverage. Brower pays $548 per month towards her insurance, Stein said.

The board could have elected to terminate benefits, but if she or a family member had a medical emergency during the time of her suspension and she was eventually acquitted, it could ultimately cost the district.

“No one knows what’s going to happen with this case. Her lawyer feels very confident that she’s going to be acquitted. I was a prosecutor. I know the difference between people who are talking vibrato and people who think they have a real basis to a certain defense,” Stein said. “If there is an acquittal, she has an absolute right to come back and resume her position as superintendent of schools.”

If a “medical catastrophe” occurs, the district could be responsible for those bills, and the board determined it would be a financial risk to terminate Brower’s benefits, he said.

'She's Lost All Respect'

Lacey Township High School Senior Keith Schemel questioned the board as to when they became aware of the investigation on Brower.

The board did not know about the investigation upon hiring Brower, Stein said. There was no way for the board to know, as investigations are confidential.

“The most you would ever get from an investigating agency is we will not acknowledge that there is and we will not acknowledge that there isn’t,” he said.

Stein referenced the investigation of former Wall Superintendent James Habel, a former Lacey Township School District employee and president of the Lacey Township Education Association, whose house was raided in September. All that is known is that a search warrant was issued and executed.

Brower did self-report the investigation two months ago. Initially, Brower indicated that she was not the focal point. Information was “vague,” and the board was unaware of the allegations, Stein said.

“Being a senior at this school, I know what students say, what teachers say about her. She’s lost all respect. So if she does in fact come back, she’ll have no respect from the teachers, no respect from the students,” Schemel said. “I hope you guys know how important this is. Even if she is innocent, I don’t see her coming back and having any respect from anybody.”

“The board appreciates the advice you have given,” Stein said.

Schemel pushed for a further decision to be made.

“Whatever the board does is going to be done within the legal structure that’s established,” Stein said.

Kathleen Pilot of Forked River was concerned that the district could be without a superintendent for years. Pilot had a case tried in Monmouth County that took four years before it was settled. She questioned if Brower was given a time limit to settle the case.

“Monmouth County is very slow,” she said

Stein got an indication of a time-line but there’s really no way of knowing how long a case can last. It’s possible, although not likely, the case will not be settled before her contract expires on July 1, 2016, he said. Brower would remain suspended during that time.

Clark as 'Silver Lining'

In the interim, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Vanessa Clark is serving as acting superintendent. Clark will be receiving a daily stipend in the future, although that has yet to be approved by the board. There is a process that must be followed, Stein said. Before the board approves the stipend, paperwork must go up to the office of the Ocean County superintendent.

Clark received applause when several residents vouched for her.

“She should’ve been there first. You should’ve picked her,” Peggy Juliano of Forked River said.

Clark has been serving as assistant superintendent since August 2008.

“Why was she overlooked?” Pilot said. “I strongly feel, as someone who has worked in a big corporation, she should have never been overstepped. She should have had the job. Not Mrs. Brower.”

The board had a “talented pool” from which to select when the district was searching for a new superintendent upon Richard Starodub's retirement in October 2011, Stein said.

The district is not opposed to promoting from within and has a “rich tradition” of doing so, board President Eric Schubiger said.

“I really hope that’s your next decision that you vote on — that Dr. Clark takes over,” Juliano said. “Kudos to Dr. Clark for always being there.”

Palino was involved in the search for a superintendent, putting in “timeless hours,” reviewing applications, resumes and background.

“It was long and it really hurts to see what’s happened to our district,” he said. “I hate that this happened for our graduating class, for our citizens.

“As a parent of this district, I feel the same way as some of you do,” he said. “I’m not convicting Dr. Brower. She has done a lot of good for this district in the short time she has been here. I am sad that she cannot be here at this present time so we can go forward on what she has started.”

Clark’s leadership is the “silver lining,” he said.

Clark assured the district that she and her administrative team are prepared to lead and move forward.

“When I first heard about this, I was actually horrified and disgusted,” Jessica Lotito of Forked River said. “But after all that sat in, then I was mortified, thinking as a parent of a special needs child, what if?”

Clark said, “We have very solid protocols in place to protect our students. As a district, we always seek to improve policies, procedures and processes. That is something we’ll take a look at."

In the meantime, Director of Special Services Michael Maschi will continue to maintain the “high priorities” the district has set for special needs students.

“I can assure you that won’t change,” she said.

“Be rest assured that your students at Lacey High School are in good hands,” board member Linda Downing said. “There is not one thing that was going on with that superintendent that (Clark) doesn’t know about.”

Clark was very involved in Brower’s work and will continue in the direction she was taking the district, Palino said.

The board and the district will be prioritizing what’s important to move forward, Clark said.

“The administration is going to be meeting. We’re going to tackle that one initiative at a time,” she said.

A full-time kindergarten program, curriculum mapping and graduating the senior class are the district’s current priorities, she said.

Schubiger is confident Clark is ready to lead the district, he said.

“I’m not happy where we are today either. I’m not happy about the situation we’re in as much as everybody here but we have a district that’s going to move forward. It has to and it will,” he said. “We have a district to lead and we need your support now more than ever.”