WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. May 2, 2004: The White Plains City School District Board of Education will take up the matter of a request by the Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Conners to "terminate" Dr. Christine Robbins, the current Principal of White Plains High School at its Special Meeting Monday night, WPCNR has learned. Dr. Robbins, the last hire of Dr. Saul Yanofsky, former Superintendent of Schools, has been principal of the high school since July, 2002.

Superintendent of Schools Conners has been reluctant to comment in detail to WPCNR on the reasons for his recommendation. Board of Education members have refused comment because it is a "personnel matter." However, one Board member told WPCNR that Mr. Conners has "performance issues" with Dr. Robbins, without being specific.

Saturday, Stephen Taft, candidate for the Board of Education, who spoke on Dr. Robbins' behalf at the Board of Education meeting April 19, told WPCNR he expected a number of parents to turn out tomorrow night and support Dr. Robbins.

Taft said Robbins has been very accessible on addressing parent issues he has raised,  including audit-accounting of athletic team fundraising efforts, and possible loss of $800 a family  resulting from the high school cancellation by Superintendent Connors, (now being described by the high school as  "postponed"), of the school's trip to Spain after the Madrid train bombing. 

Taft, in his remarks at the April meeting said he felt Dr. Robbins was a very visible, and responsive Principal at the high school. 

He told WPCNR the primary reason he is running for School Board is the Superintendent of Schools' appearance of imposing his policies on the School Board, and the Board's willingness to go along with them without thorough examination.

He told WPCNR the secrecy surrounding the Robbins criticism and now, the attempt to oust Robbins from her post after less than two years on the job, convinced him he should run for the seat.

Taft said, he felt the Board had already decided to remove Dr. Robbins,  but still held out hope the Board would not follow Mr. Connors recommendation. WPCNR noting the Board's strong support for Superintendent Connors' positions, and initiatives handicaps the vote this way:

WPCNR would consider that  Donna Mclaughlin, Peter Bassano and Michelle Tratoros would vote for the ouster with Terry McGuire and William Pollak (two very independent individuals) voting against, with Maria Valentin and Susan Kirkpatrick (who is leaving the School Board at the end of her term, and a "no" vote would not affect her), as possible swing votes.

High School Has Issues it Needs to Address

A factor to consider in the decision to initiate a search for a new principal is that Linda Ochser, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, one of the last holdovers from the Yanofsky Superintendent's cabinet, is retiring. Dr. Joseph Casbarro, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services is the last Yanofsky cabinet member remaining in Mr. Connors' cabinet.

Any new Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources would have the delicate job of finding a principal for the most important Principalship in the district as their first job.

Terminating a principal before three years would raise any prime candidate's eyebrows in considering the position, and probably result in the demand for a very costly compensation package, or result in an inferior candidate. Another option for the district could be to promote a popular assistant Principal within the high school to "keep the lid on," but perhaps not be a strong leader.

Any principal coming in to White Plains High School should have to take up several very key issues that exist at White Plains High School:

1.) The Achievement Gap between African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian students.  

2.)  The teenage drinking situations policy, enforcement, and penalties

3.)The inadequate management of the brand-new School Cafeteria and the demonstrated cafeteria failure on a daily basis  to feed all its 1,861 students a nutritious lunch on time, without long line waits. 

4.) The editorial control of the school newspaper.

Can a "Caretaker Principal" Make Real Change?

These are not issues, in WPCNR's opinion that "a caretaker Principal" promoted from within, where they are not going to go against their colleagues and do anything to rock the boat,  is going to deal with in a manner that will effect real change for the benefit of the students.

Rumors surfaced in December that Dr. Robbins was going to be removed in early January, and replaced by a popular recent retiree "to keep the lid on." The Board of Education was reluctant to do that at the time, according to our sources.  At the time when asked about this,  Superintendent of Schools Connors told WPCNR, "Dr. Robbins is our Principal and she's going to be our principal for a while."

This is not the first time the Board of Education has taken up a delicate personnel matter without involving the public. Superintendent of Schools Saul Yanofsky was terminated by the Board of Education, which kept his termination secret for six months.