NEWARK - School Superintendent Roger León secured a two-year extension of his contract after all, after one Board of Education member suddenly decided to change her abstention from the September vote on Thursday night, Oct. 30.

A contract extension proposal was not on the board’s Oct. 30 agenda, but Robert’s Rules of Order allow a board member to retroactively change their vote on any agenda item without an official motion, further discussion, or a prior public notice.

A change of heart by Board member Melissa Reed – one of the newest Newark school board members who previously abstained on the contract extension vote – on Thursday gave the contract extension proposal the five votes it needed to pass.

This sudden and apparently legal change came as a surprise, with one board member as

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