The Wyckoff Education Association announced at the Board of Education's June 29 meeting that its members have voted no confidence in Superintendent Dr. Kerry Postma, the culmination of what the union's president described as years of concerns over workplace climate, staffing decisions, and what she called a fear of retaliation among employees.[1]

Sheila McLean, president of the Wyckoff Education Association and a 20-year district employee, delivered the announcement during the meeting's second public comment period. "A vote of no confidence is not a decision educators undertake lightly," she said. "It is a formal declaration that employees have lost confidence in district leadership."[1]

McLean said the vote was conducted with support and guidance from the New Jersey Education Association. "The vote reflected an 81% participation rate with approximately 70% of members casting a yes or no vote supporting the motion," she said.[2]

She told the board the action followed years of documented concerns. "This action was not prompted by a single incident," she said. "Rather, it reflects years of growing concerns regarding workplace climate, transparency, communication, staffing decisions, labor relations, and employees' ability to raise legitimate concerns without fear of retaliation."[2] McLean said many employees feared being publicly identified at board meetings or seen supporting colleagues, a perception she said "reflects a workplace climate that deserves the board's attention."

McLean opened her remarks by reading from a decision by an administrative law judge in a recent case the association brought concerning two employees who were denied leave, under New Jersey's expanded sick leave law, to attend their children's school concert and legacy project. She quoted the judge as writing that "Respondent Dr. Postma also puts forth the dim and cynical view of music education, placing it at the bottom of the educational totem pole and diminishing its worth," and that the district had characterized children's concerts and recitals as "discretionary entertainment events."[3] The judge, she said, called that "a deeply arbitrary reading of the statute," adding that "a parent's presence is not less desirable or beneficial simply because they attend an event as a passive observer."

Under questioning from a board member about whether the association's officers backed the vote, McLean said they did. "Our officers were all in agreement and there was a strong majority of the Rep Council to move forward," she said. Asked whether she had the vote totals, McLean said she did not have them on hand but could provide them; she declined, however, to identify how individuals had voted, citing members' fear of retaliation. "I'm not going to give you who voted for what," she said.[4]

Postma responded later in the meeting, before the board adjourned to executive session. She said she took the concerns seriously but disputed the scale of the result, characterizing it as "50 to 55 people voting out of an association of about 250 — voting no confidence is too many," she said.[5]

The superintendent defended the district's recent staffing decisions, which the union had cited among its grievances. "The reality is that our staffing adjustments, as one example, were based strictly on the operational and fiscal needs of the district under the state levy cap with difficult constraints due to health benefits increases," she said, adding that the district had achieved the reductions "primarily through natural attrition and departmental consolidation."[6] Postma said personnel decisions "are never made to retaliate against employees or to discourage differing viewpoints."

"My responsibility as superintendent is and always has been to serve the students, families, and taxpayers of Wyckoff while supporting all employees with professionalism, fairness, and respect," she said. "I remain committed to listening, engaging in constructive dialogue, and leading with integrity, transparency, and professionalism."[7]