In Monday's Troy Record:Editorial:
East Greenbush deserves answers
Residents are understandably upset with the lack of information coming out of the East Greenbush Central School District regarding Superintendent Rebecca Furlong.We appreciate the fact there are laws in place limiting the Board of Education’s discussion of personnel matters, but we also know she is paid with taxpayer dollars and she will continue to collect her $160,000 a year salary until she officially steps down at the end of June.Adding to the residents’ frustration is the mystery surrounding her departure after she was just hired last summer and served only four months of a three year contract.Nobody knows why she left or why she is still getting paid through June or who the next superintendent will be. Presently, Assistant Superintendent Angela Guptill is performing the duties but it is not known if she will be a permanent replacement or if the board will search for another.AdvertisementThe board has offered little, if any, elaboration on their initial statement in which they said Furlong "requested" the leave and the board "granted her a paid leave of absence.""The Board of Education and Dr. Furlong depart on amicable terms," according to the statement. Paying someone for not working is indeed one way to remain amicable."The circumstances surrounding Dr. Furlong’s request¬ed leave are due in part to changes in thinking regarding the goals and priorities established by the district since the commencement of services as well as the manner in which they are to be addressed," according to the state¬ment.How drastic can "changes in thinking regarding the goals and priorities" transpire in four months?Board member Tom Chesser told a crowd of about 50 community members that showed up at a meeting, that "this district needs help more than ever." He continued by saying "we must work together to move forward or our students will be the first to suffer."It seems to us those on the board should step up and answer the tough questions rather than try to hide behind flowery statements. In the least, Chesser should stop hid¬ing behind the very students he is elected to serve.We are not saying break any laws governing personnel matters, but the residents living in the district deserve better than what they are getting from the Board of Education.
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8 comments:
Here is the story. 12 People know why Becky is stealing our taxpayers dollars. Becky, Her attorney, our school district attorney and the 9 louses we have representing us! According to several anonymous district employees there is some sort of confidentiality agreement that precludes either side from bad mouthing the other. So we will never know what happened.
For all the posturing that went on about a good old boys network in this school district. This is worse than anything I have seen in this town in over 30 years.
THIS BOE NEEDS TO BE REMOVED.
Are all 9 board members that bad. A few of the newer ones seem to be better and trying, but have old farts like Ray and Joanne blocking them.
Chesser definitely should go.
All 9 voted publicly for her, so they're ALL responsible for this mess!
I tried leaving a comment to a previous post I made the other day, but it hasn't appeared here and I, apologetically, do not know how to start a new feed.
To keep this short, it appears that too many people are upset and hesitant about posting a comment or speaking out publicly for fear of some kind of retribution from the school board. There is another solution.
First, allow me to note that my comments or involvement is not on behalf of the entire Town Board, but my individual point of view. Second, my criticism of the BOE is not a personal attack, nor do I believe any of our opinions should be personal. I know some of the members and like them on a personal level. However, I have the ability to maintain my objectivity and be critical of their collective handeling of this matter, which seems significantly flawed due to their insistance on hiring Dr. Furlong in the first place. It only seems reasonable that in some way they be held accountable.
I will be out of Town for the next board meeting, but I'd like to offer this suggestion. There is a website for the State Education department: www.regents.nysed.gov/statement this site defines the responsibility of a board member, and under appendix "F", offers an electronic complaint form to report fraud, waste and abuse anonymously. It is my opinion that this board, perhaps not all members, but those who seemingly control the board, are guilty of mismanagement. Their action should be evaluated by the State Education Department. Share the link with everyone who might otherwise feel powerless or without options.
It is an outrage that already there is an indication that when the budget comes up, the students will be threatened with the loss of programs rather than demonstrating some fiscal responsibility and cutting administrative salaries or positions. If forced to cut in an administrative capacity, perhaps they will be a little more careful with tax payer dollars.
Those who prey on the weak or use their position to intimidate or control their environment are not fit to serve the community as they have a responsibilty to work in our collective best interest. In my opinion, this issue is far from being resolved and the board, as requested by a number of residents need to answer the questions posed here.
If, for fear of their jobs, people feel that questions can not be submitted to this board, I can be contacted anonymously at my mailbox in Town hall or at cristo4council@mcristo.com. I will gladly submit questions to the board on behalf of the community in my own voice with MY name attached to them... that's what I was elected to do. Those board members who were not party to voting for Dr. Furlong's hire, should make themselves known so we can offer them credit for trying to act in the Town's best interest and replace those who did not.
Respectfully submitted;
Michael P. Cristo Jr.
Town Board Member
Father
Taxpayer
At least they appointed Angela Interim Super. Check out www.egcsd.org
As a teacher in the district I am saddened by the events surrounding Dr. Furlong's hiring and departure-The children, community and district employees deserve better than this. While I agree we need to move forward as a district, we cannot move forward until this matter is resolved and we have some kind of closure. The board members who insisted on appointing this person (disregarding information from her previous district) need to be accountable and should voluntarily resign. Yes, they made a mistake, but don't we teach our children that there need to be consequences for their actions? This district will be paying for the boards' mistakes for years to come. There is the obvious monetary cost, but just as importantly is the lack of trust and confidence that is the result of this debacle. As a
teacher of EGCSD I will continue to do my best for my students and the district, but let's have some resolution and move on- please!
To respond to a previous post, no, not ALL nine are bad. I had the good fortune of meeting one board member, who, if first impressions mean anything, she is a quality person and the kind of individual I for one, want on the board. It is current member and a candidate for reappointment this year, Karen Curran. She is articulate, involved and apparently committed. I would include from what I know of him, Mr. Angelo with her.
As a member of a different Board, I would argue in their defense that once you realize that you are in the minority opinion on a topic, it is in the best interest of your board and the relationship between the individuals who will ultimately have to work together, to present a united front. For this reason alone, I think a few of the members vote is excusable, but a lot of questions remain.
Michael Cristo
Mr. Angelo is no longer on the BOE
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