WPCNR WHITE PLAINS VOICE. November 18, 2004: No accolades before multitudes at White Plains High School, where he monitored the fields constantly on golden afternoons of practices, contests, and countless evenings of meetings, for retiring Athletic Director Mario Scarano. No speeches from the Board of Education awaited Mario Scarano when he was forced to retire in August (just a statement misspelling his name).

An observer has written WPCNR, reflecting on the Scarano years 1998 to 2004. They were great years for White Plains athletics, and they lament on his dismissal by the Board of Education:

Dear Mr. Bailey,

As far as I’m concerned you can continue to write all you want about fastpitch softball and supermarkets as long as you continue to tell it like it is on so many important issues that concern our community. I’m referring to those issues that our own “local” newspaper continues to ignore.

There can be no better example of this then your honest and accurate reporting of what actually happened to the White Plains High School Athletic Director, Mr. Mario Scarano. Our wonderful school district is still without a full-time, permanent Athletic Director almost three months after Mr. Scarano paid the ultimate price for his commitment to our athletes and coaches, with his job and career. He was the victim of vindictive parents and school board members who have their own personal agendas that have absolutely nothing to do with what is best for our children, our school system or our community.

For 14 years before Mr. Scarano arrived, the once highly respected reputation of WPHS athletics had rapidly deteriorated. In only 6 years, Mr. Scarano brought WPHS athletics back to the forefront where it belongs. Just look at the many, many improvements to our athletic facilities. Look at the success of so many of our programs. Look at the large numbers of student/athletes participating in sports.

 When Mr. Scarano arrived 6 years ago, White Plains HS did not even have a wrestling program. It had been eliminated under the “leadership” of the previous A.D. This past year, our Varsity wrestling team was undefeated league champions. Wrestling is alive and well at WPHS thanks to Mr. Scarano.

I attended the Board of Ed meeting back in October when a number of district staff and community members spoke about the great job Mr. Scarano has done as AD. The Board was asked for an explanation for why they would not accept his rescinding his retirement?  The response was typical for this board, “it is a personnel matter and can’t be discussed”. Apparently, it is so confidential it wasn’t even discussed with Mr. Scarano.

It’s interesting that the most important decisions concerning our district (for example, Dr. Yanofsky and Mr. Scarano), take place in “executive sessions” that are closed to the public. They then further insult our intelligence by refusing to disclose their reasons because it’s a “personnel matter”. The real reason that these decisions can’t be discussed is that they are entirely politically and personally motivated. These decisions don’t represent the overwhelming majority of the citizens of White Plains. They represent the needs of a few adults in power.

The sad part is that this is not very complicated at all. The women’s Varsity basketball coach said it well at that October Board meeting. She said that years ago the coaches coached and the players played. Those days are long gone because of the many, many parents who have such an incredible need to live vicariously through their children. They interfere, they rant and they rave and they believe that they have the right to denigrate and even slander coaches in public.

Mr. Scarano is not our AD for one simple reason and that is he backed his coaches. He even backed those coaches who made their team rosters based on ability, not entitlement, who determined who started at quarterback, or point guard, based on what was best for the team, and who picked his/her captains based on leadership ability. The prognosis for athletics at WPHS is bleak when you have a Board of Education composed of members who have their own personal agendas along with other board members who are either too scared, too weak in character or too apathetic to see the truth.

Mr. Bailey, you have many supporters in our community. There are many of us who not only appreciate what you do, but who respect you for having the courage to speak the truth.

While unfortunately, it didn’t help save Mr. Scarano’s job, it certainly made people uncomfortable. People who don’t want to hear the truth because it interferes with their agendas. People like the one who wrote that recent letter to you. Keep telling the truth because maybe some day it will motivate our community to elect a board that is capable of serving the public, not themselves.

I just hope that happens before it’s too late, before our great school district goes the way of some other school districts in Westchester.

Sincerely,

A Concern Citizen