November 17, 2014
In the past week there were two significant Resolutions
regarding the Buffalo Public Schools that many of you are probably not aware
of, since the Buffalo News gave little coverage to one and completely ignored
the other. So, let’s talk about the
first Resolution that did receive some coverage as it represented a positive
development in community support for one of our “out of time” schools,
Lafayette High School.
In a stellar show of solidarity and support for Lafayette
students, faculty, staff and families, the Buffalo Common Council, on November 12th,
voted unanimously on a Resolution, which reads in part:
“Therefore, Be It Resolved: That the Common Council seeks support from
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Education Department
Commissioner John B. King Jr. to provide State Improvement Grant Funds for
Lafayette High School, so that the funds deliver an equitable school turnaround
for the school, students, and community. In addition, NYSED should provide
translations of New York State Regents Examinations and Bilingual Glossaries as
afforded to other language groups in the state, as well as extending waivers
for schools designed for adolescent English Language Learners, which exist in
New York City.”
In addition to the Governor and the Commissioner of NYS
Education, the New York State Board of Regents also received a copy of the
Resolution. It remains to be seen as to
the impact of this show of support for Lafayette. But it’s a great sign of local support for
keeping local control of the school. I’ll
provide an update as soon as I receive it.
The second Resolution was initiated, on November 10th,
by the four minority members of the Board, Dr. Harris-Tigg, Mrs. Belton
Cottman, Mrs. Kapsiak and this author.
The resolution calls on the Board for transparency and openness in the
case of the alleged conflict of interest of Carl Paladino as it relates to his
votes on Charter School decisions. The
specific question relates to a settlement with the Charter School for Applied
Technologies. You may recall that Mr.
Paladino purchased the former Holy Angels School earlier this year. Beginning
in September the Charter School for Applied Technologies located a middle
school in this building. As a result of
his ownership of this building, the minority members of the Board contend that
Mr. Paladino has a conflict of interest and therefore should not have voted on
this agreement. The Board received a
legal opinion on this matter and the Resolution demands that the opinion be
made public. The resolution concluded
with the resolve that:
“Therefore, the sponsors of this Resolution request that the Board vote
to make public the legal opinion provided by Mr. Kristoff regarding the issue
of conflict of interest and Mr. Paladino and also stay further action to
execute the settlement agreement with the Charter School for Applied Technologies
until the question of conflict of interest is resolved.”
Needless to say, this Resolution created quite a stir with the
majority Board members. They initiated a
number of actions to prevent it from coming to the Board meeting on November 19th
for a formal vote. In fact, they
circumvented the Resolution by having Mr. Paladino give an interview to the
Buffalo News during which the confidential and privileged details of the
attorney’s opinion were disclosed to the press.
This is another instance in which this group of Board members
demonstrates their support of a double standard. Their actions have evaded and ignored the Board’s
obligation to maintain confidential information that was received in executive
session. Their goal is to make
discussion and presentation of this Resolution moot. However, the minority members of the Board
will exercise our right and responsibility to bring this Resolution to the
table for a vote. As with the other
Resolution, I’ll update you on the outcome.
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