‘WE TAKE OUR JOBS SERIOUSLY’
To the editor:
I would like to comment on a recent Observer article where Kearny Board of Education member Daniel Esteves was reported to have said that his “push for student residency checks” was “ignored.”
Is Mr. Esteves implying that there are no residency checks or investigations conducted by the Residency Office? At the very least, he appears to have some doubts or questions about the program.
However, those doubts or questions were never addressed with the Residency Office. Mr. Esteves could have easily contacted me or Mrs. Donna Wagner-Nigro, the residency supervisor, to discuss those issues.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen so I don’t know the extent of Mr. Esteves’ knowledge regarding our efforts but if his comment reflects a belief that residency checks are not being made, that is a serious disconnect for someone who should know better as a [former] Board member.
I can assure you that the Residency Office understands its responsibilities to the taxpayers of Kearny and to the school district.
As the residency investigator for the Kearny Board of Education since October 2009, I can assure you we have conducted several thousand investigations. In almost every case, it involves visits to the student family residence and sometimes multiple visits. I make visits almost every morning and most evenings during the school year. All such visits are documented.
We can also report that no student family found to be in violation of residency policy has successfully challenged the findings of our investigations. I believe this reflects the high standards we strive to achieve for being fair and competent in our work.
Rob Wilson,
residency investigator
Donna Wagner-Nigro,
residency supervisor
Kearny Board of Education
