Math Teacher Missing On Reappointment List

By DEBBIE REIMER
Staff Writer

PRINCETON - The regional school board, amid little fanfare, voted 8-0 last night to reappoint 304 teachers, but failing to make the list was Clyde Rue, a Middle School math teacher, who did manage to win some vocal support from the audience.

All reappointments were based on recommendations of School Superintendent Dr. Phillip E. McPherson.

Dr. McPherson explained he had recommended Rue's reappointment, but that the board had decided not to reappoint him at last night's meeting.
Tenure Factor

A motion was introduced by board member Eric Craig to add Rue's name to the list, but the motion failed by a 6-2 vote. Las night's failure to reappoint Rue, however, does not prevent the board from reappointing him at a later date. If Rue had been reappointed, he would have received tenure.

Board policy prevents the discussion of personnel matters in public, so it could not be learned why Rue was not being reappointed.

Staff planning for the 1974-75 school year in the face of decreasing enrollment calls for a tentative instructional staff of 277 members. Next year's school budget calls for a reduction of 23 staff positions from 300.
Normal Attrition

Normal attrition is expected to take care of 18 of those positions and school officials believe that the remaining five staff members can be retained in contingency positions funded through the use of reserve funds and transfers from other accounts.

In other action the board:

-- Put off until its April meeting the adoption of a 1974-75 academic calendar.

-- Approved a contract not to exceed $337,500 with J. Robert Hillier, architect of Princeton High School. The contract contains an hourly fee schedule, but payments are not to exceed a total of $337,500.

-- Ratified the 1974-75 teachers contract.

-- Accepted a bid of $15,770 from Edward Grant Company to correct problems with the ventilation system at the high school.

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Denial of Tenure. The action described in the above newspaper article was opposed in a challenge filed by legal counsel provided by the New Jersey Education Association. A decision issued by the NJ Commissioner of Education on January 23, 1976 (Gail T. Fishberg, Berverly Corson, Clyde Rue, Hedwig Haley and Amita Jones, Petitioners vs. Board of Education of the Princeton Regional School District, Mercer County, Respondent) found that the Board did not exceed its lawful authority by denying tenure to the Petitioners, although the Board was directed to provide them "a statement of reasons for its determination not to reemploy them for the 1974-75 academic year." See prepared statement by Clyde B. Rue, May 5, 1976.