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Tom Koulos (edited by ND)
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Date Posted: 23:26:12 08/25/05 Thu
Much could be said about the Board of Education’s hysterical ennui, but as Lynn Sloneker’s excellently detailed report proves, the facts speak for themselves….. I encourage you all to read this report, including the neat little surprise – a predictable coverup for those of us who know the score – at the end….. /pm.
Whistling Dixie
School Board All Hunkered Down
Snatching Failure from the Jaws of Victory
By Lynn Sloneker
Special to Eye on Education
HUDSON (Aug 24)- The size of the audience has diminished and emotions are less volatile than those displayed during recent meetings, but the tension between outgoing superintendent James B. Clarke Jr. and board president Jack Mabb was evident as the Hudson City School District Board of Education held its last gathering Monday evening before students return to school Sept. 7.
Clarke offered little to the discussion outside his required "superintendent's report" while Mabb dominated the agenda.
In a story that appeared in the Aug. 12 edition of the Independent, Mabb was characterized as, "Blasting Mr. Clarke as 'a little king' who took a 'circle the wagons approach,'." and "cited the superintendent's failure to keep the board informed of problems in the district." Mabb was referring Clarke's failure to notify the board of a pending mandated review of the district's policies and practices by state Deputy Education Commissioner James A. Kadamus.
The story continued, "As another example of lack of communication and cooperation, he [Mabb] mentioned the request made by a district parent that the U.S. Department of Justice [sic] investigate whether the parent's child had been the target of racial discrimination by the district. Mr. Mabb said Mr. Clarke delayed telling the board of the parent's move." (See sidebar.)
The story, and Mabb's comments about the superintendent, were raised by former district parent Pat Hutchings, during the meeting Monday. She questioned the validity of placing blame on Clarke alone for the district's woes. Mabb denied he "blamed" Clarke; Clarke offered no comment.
Clarke recently tendered his resignation as HCSD superintendent, effective Sept. 20.
While not providing any substantive details, the board indicated an appointment of an interim superintendent is imminent - by all accounts an executive session held at the close of the public meeting may lead to a candidate interview in the coming weeks.
The board did not disclose the identity of the favored candidate but rumors have circulated for weeks that Hudson native and former Chatham School District superintendent Marilyn Berry is a frontrunner for the job. Former Hudson Middle School and Greenport Elementary principal George Esposito, and Coxsackie- Athens high school principal and Hudson resident William Toussaint are also rumored to be under consideration.
Clarke reported his intension to attend an informal meeting with New York state Senator Stephen M. Saland, R,C Poughkeepsie, chair of the Senate sub-committee on education, Sept. 15, scheduled to be held at Columbia-Greene Community College. He offered to include the interim superintendent - if one is designated at that point - in that meeting. Clarke said he recently corresponded with both Saland and state Assemblyman Pat Manning, R,C East Fishkill, concerning the district's "financial situation."
Greenport resident and former HTA president, Tom Fleming, renewed the suggestion he offered two weeks ago, requesting Questar III District Superintendent James Baldwin serve as HCSD's interim superintendent thereby, in Fleming's words, "saving the district $500 per day."
In response, Mabb said Baldwin recently expressed support for hiring an interim superintendent and also provided the board with a list of retired superintendents as possible candidates. Baldwin will reportedly be present at the next board meeting (Sept. 12) to discuss the type of support the Board of Cooperative Educational Services can provide to the district for its "permanent search."
Mary Keeler Daly, chair of the search sub-committee, said that group will be organized - and will include members of the community - after the board makes the appointment of an interim superintendent.
The evening started on a high note with the presentation of an $82,000 gift from the city of Hudson - handed over by Mayor Richard Scalera - to the district for the purpose of sustaining HCSD sports and arts programs during the coming school year. Later in the evening, the board voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to restore Cristy Sisk to a .4 instrumental music position at Hudson High School, at the rate of $200 per day. According to Mabb, that position is underwritten entirely by the city donation.
"Contrary to what you read in the paper, some things at city hall are unanimous," Scalera said before handing the check over to Mabb.
Smiling, Mabb called the city's action "a wonderful thing."
Booster Club president and district teacher Pat Maloy thanked Scalera and the city for the gift. He also announced the club's recent receipt of a $12,500 donation from DDL Construction of Albany. DDL has worked on a number of local building projects, including the Columbia County Mental Health Building, located at Columbia and Third streets and nearing completion, and the Taconic Hills Central School in Craryville.
Maloy delivered an update on past and future booster club activity, reporting 550 ziti dinners were sold last week at St. Mary's School and netted more than $4,000 for the club. Calling it a "great inter- generational event," Maloy said the "women at the church" were "amazed" at the behavior of the children who assisted at the event. He said the HCSD students involved completed the tasks assigned without prompting.
The club is currently selling tickets for a raffle to be held during "Oldies Night," Sept. 9 at the Polish Sportsmen Club in Greenport. There is also an upcoming chicken BBQ at the AME Zion Church in Hudson Sept. 14 and another "Trash or Treasure" tag sale slated for Oct. 1.
Other business discussed Monday, included:
Clarke announced the retirement of Hudson Police Department Sgt. Eugene Shetsky as School Resource Officer. Clarke said a replacement candidate has been selected but not identified to the district because s/he has not been cleared by HPD, yet.
The SRO is an employee of HPD and stationed in the district while classes are in session and on regular patrol rotation in the city of Hudson at other times. Shetsky was appointed to the newly established position in February 2004. HPD sought - and was awarded - a federal grant in the sum of $125,000 to fund the position "amid allegations of escalating incidents of violence at the Hudson Middle School."
The board accepted, "with regret," the resignation "for the purpose of retirement" of Athena DeBonis, art teacher with HCSD for 34 years, having been employed by the district since Sept. 1, 1971. DeBonis was in attendance at Monday's meeting.
The district is currently in negotiation with attorneys for Columbia County concerning the $210,000 in back taxes due from Green Manor Nursing Home. Board clerk Daniel Barrett reported having received $60,000 of the total owed, so far.
The board's Facilities Committee, chaired by Peter Rost, met last week, for the first time since February. Rost said the district's five- year plan is due in November. According to Rost, the committee's first facilities priority is to find a way to move the administrative offices to a new location, opening the door for the district to sell the former Claverack school. He said any facilities plan presented in the coming months will be "budget neutral."
The board voted unanimously in favor of a resolution authorizing Rhinebeck Architecture & Planning P.C. to conduct "the 2005 building condition survey and visual inspection at a cost not to exceed $29,000."
Pat Abitabile, chair of the Achievement (formerly Curriculum) Committee announced former board president Shailer Evans has asked to serve on the committee and intends to participate in the group's upcoming materials review.
A resolution approving meal price increases was passed unanimously, raising the cost of lunch at Hudson High School and M.C. Smith Middle School to $1.75, and to $1.35 at John L. Edwards and Greenport elementary schools.
The board will next meet 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at John L. Edwards Elementary School.
See No Evil
Board Still Silent On Federal Civil Rights Investigation
Presented with the second opportunity in three weeks, members of the Hudson City School District Board of Education and outgoing superintendent James B. Clarke Jr. failed to disclose to the public the existence of an ongoing investigation of Montgomery C. Smith Middle School by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.
Notwithstanding a brief reference to the matter by board member Peter Rost to president Jack Mabb and Clarke during the Aug. 8 public meeting and their subsequent representations that the matter would be discussed Monday, the issue did not appear on the agenda, nor was it revealed during Clarke's "superintendent's report."
A letter to Clarke from OCR, dated and transmitted to district offices July 28, was included in the board's "packet" - as the members refer to materials prepared by Clarke's office in preparation for each board meeting - two weeks ago, according to the comments offered by Rost Aug. 8.
Board vice president James Mackerer - and consequently the full board - learned of the OCR investigation from a reporter, Aug. 5.
The OCR initiated an investigation following allegations, reported in April 2005, of racial discrimination related to discipline at the middle school.
According to Michelle A. Armstrong, Compliance Team Leader with OCR's New York office, the complaint involves three children.
In anticipation of "the expeditious resolution" of its investigation, OCR requested the district comply with an extensive "data request" within 15 days.
The information requested - a detailed list of at least nine documents - was to be produced within 15 days of July 28, and included:
"A copy of the district's and, if different, the school's disciplinary policy, code of conduct, list of disciplinary infractions and their corresponding sanctions (including but not limited to referrals, suspensions and expulsions), and an explanation of the factors taken into consideration when imposing disciplinary sanctions.
"Identify all school staff members, by race/ethnicity and job title, who were authorized to make disciplinary referrals and/or render disciplinary sanctions during the 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004- 2005 school years."
According to OCR, a representative of the agency contacted Clarke's office Aug. 12, inquiring as to the status of the request. At that time, OCR was informed by a district employee s/he believed the deadline for the materials to be Aug. 18 and further stated Clarke was on vacation until Aug. 17.
In follow-up correspondence dated Aug. 15, that same individual forwarded a portion of the requested material; specifically, the racial/ethnic composition of the middle school student body, a list of staff members authorized to make disciplinary referrals and the district's account of all students cited with "disciplinary infractions" during the 2002-2003, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years. The remainder of the material was to be submitted after Clarke returned from vacation.
The complaint alleges the district is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in that:
(1) The children were discriminated against ".on the basis of race by excessively disciplining them during the 2004-2005 school year because they are African American."
(2) Two of the students were "subjected [by the district].to a racially hostile educational environment during the 2004-2005 school year by failing to take action when they complained that non-African American students called them a 'nigger.'"
(3) The middle school "targeted African American students for disciplinary referrals and imposed harsher sanctions on them than on white students" during three successive school years, beginning in 2002-2003.
Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. "The district receives such federal financial assistance and therefore, is subject to the provisions of Title VI," according to Armstrong.
--Peter Meyer
Eye on Education
Hudson, NY
How's this news account grab you all???Tom Koulos
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