White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Schere: Time to Move ON. Supported Yanofsky in April Ouster.

Special to WPCNR from the Board of Education:In WPCNR's Tuesday report of the tumultuous Board of Education meeting, we report Dorothy Schere as having broken the code of silence by stating she was opposed to the Board decision to dismiss Saul Yanofsky. She was critical of the public for not taking more of an interest in the tasks of the Board and the affairs of the School District. Tuesday, the School District released her statement. Here is Ms. Schere's complete statement:

In any organization or decision-making body you have varying opinions that sometimes cannot be reconciled. I was not able to support the idea that the superintendent’s contract should be allowed to expire. For several months I advanced the idea of an extension of his contract and was unable to find enough support for this. It is clear at this point that neither the Board nor the Superintendent wishes to extend the contract past June 30.

There is no one who is not at fault here for what has happened over the past few months including the Superintendent and the seven Board members who were in office last year. But you can’t unscramble the omelet or put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It is time for us to move on, to reflect on what has happened, do our best to have a successful school year, and try to rebuild the public’s confidence in the Board.

In the past few weeks the Board has been criticized, for everything from its use of the English language to its decision-making process and communication with the public. There have been calls to “fire” the Board, or recall the Board, but who of you will take our place? In the past two Board elections, including the one in which I was re-elected, the candidates have gone unopposed. There has been no public discussion of values or vision, no debate about the issues of the Standards or the State Tests, no League of Women Voters or neighborhood association debates.

No one comes to Board work sessions except to protest minor budget decisions, and those few who have interest are content to watch the televised monthly meetings without giving any input or asking questions. Complaints and sometimes praise are delivered on street corners and soccer games but not in a public forum. So the Board’s work has gone on, unnoticed and unremarked on, and very often our information from the community is limited to the people we happen to speak to.

The one good thing I see coming out of this situation is that perhaps this will strike a spark of interest. I hope that we will see people pay closer attention to the Board. I hope that we will see more candidates for the Board Election in May who have been paying attention, who understand what the role of the school board is, what their vision for the district is and who are willing debate the issues.

I hope that you will now become engaged in the process of finding a new superintendent, make an effort to be more informed, attend Board meetings on a regular basis, communicate your concerns more regularly, run for the Board, and become part of an involved community that will strengthen our schools.


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