CATSKILL — Concerns about the direction the Catskill Central School District’s Board of Education and its administration are heading were raised at a recent school board meeting by teachers and community members.
The concerns were raised at the board’s April 23 meeting after it approved its proposed 2024-25 school budget.
Superintendent of Schools Dan Wilson said the board’s votes in favor of the spending package showed its continued support of the quality opportunities the district has to offer students.
One attendee and board of education candidate, Karen Van Wie, said the school board meeting was all over the place and hard to follow..
“It was a bit of a mess, but there’s still an ‘elephant in the room,’” she said.
Van Wie was referring to the board’s decision to limit the public portion of the previous meeting.
When last week’s meeting reached the public portion, members of the school community shared their concerns with the board.
Catskill Teachers Association Vice President Mary Jo Verdichizzi spoke about the administration’s treatment of school staff, adding union members are fearful of their jobs.
“The CTA stood before the board on March 13 asking how the district was going to help us start the process to change the negative climate at Catskill Central School District,” Verdichizzi said at last week’s meeting. “We spoke about the toxic energy that had been lingering. Many of us were, and are, still questioning our daily interactions with the students and the support we have from the administration. We are here again tonight because, although our union has spoken about the toxic climate of our job, nothing has been done to change this.
“We cannot continue to provide a strong foundation for our students to succeed socially or academically, if we, as teachers, do not feel that we have the support of our leaders,” she added.
“CTA has met on many occasions with the administration to discuss issues and concerns in order to foster a positive working relationship and in turn a better school climate and culture but we’ve been met with negativity.”
Wilson, on Thursday, said in an email that this year has been exceptionally hard for the district.
“This school has seen a very challenging school year for multiple reasons: lack of bus drivers, multiple repairs to the new turf field, delays of the capital project, potential construction litigation and an unprecedented number of staff issues,” according to Wilson’s email.
“As a superintendent of schools, I must ensure that the health and safety of our students is our no. 1 priority, and I can’t turn a blind eye to that, no matter the difficulties that may cause me personally, because that’s the job. We have had an unprecedented number of staff incidents this school year that have left us with no other choice but to investigate matters and hold staff accountable when necessary.”
Verdichizzi said the board has referred to union members as whiners and unprofessional but teachers continue to cautiously perform their jobs.
“The truth is, we are fearful,” she said. “Imagine trying to do the best at your job but second guessing every move you make or every word you speak because if a mistake is made you don’t know if you’ll be given a chance to learn and grow from that mistake. Rather, there’s a punitive measure to our mistakes.
“The fear needs to be addressed as the elephant in the room. We invite the board and the superintendent to an open dialogue with the leadership of the CTA to foster an environment that’s conducive to learning and growth for the teachers and students.”
School and administration leadership meet regularly to discuss plans moving forward, Wilson said.
“In order to develop and maintain healthy working relationships all building leadership, including the central office, meet regularly with union leadership to discuss concerns, talk about our goals moving forward, and share our thoughts,” according to Wilson.
“Moving forward, we will continue to stay laser-focused on the outcomes of our students,” he added. “Finalizing the district’s first strategic plan in over 30 years, that we know of, will be a transformational step in the right direction. Continuing the process of aligning our curriculum while also finalizing our new literacy program for grades K-8 will support student growth and outcomes. We will continue to provide high-quality professional development for all staff to ensure they have all the tools they need to support our learners.”
Community members, including Ron Chiminelli, however, disagrees with Wilson’s actions and urges the board to take the thoughts of the school community into consideration.
“There is an unprecedented lack of confidence in the superintendent’s actions by students, teachers, as well as the community as a whole,” Chiminelli said at the meeting.
“This should be taken into account of your evaluation about what the community feels is an abysmal performance. He has created an environment of fear and distrust and created a huge drift between administration and staff.
“You, the board, have the power to oversee the superintendent’s actions. Please use that power. I remind the board that I can provide a list of witnesses willing to testify if called as for the superintendent’s bullying tactics.”
The progress of the board’s evaluation of Wilson is unclear, Van Wie said.
When the community asked for answers regarding moving forward, board member Lee Heim, who is running to retain his seat on the board, said the board needed to address the “elephant in the room.” Board candidate Jeremy Engelin responded to Heim’s statement by accusing the board member of grandstanding or speaking out to just gain attention.
“Lee (Heim) and (board member) Patty (Dushane) acknowledged the room and what was said and agreed that something needs to be done,” Van Wie said.
Dushane was upset and concerned about how things are being handled by the board and administration, and to hear that teacher’s jobs are being threatened, she said.
“The Board of Education plays a pivotal role in oversight of our schools through policy,” Wilson said Thursday.
“Being on the board can be a challenging position and anyone who is willing to volunteer their time for the betterment of our students and community should be commended.”
The board has one meeting May 8 before the May 21 school board election.
“We as a community are looking forward to this election, to retake control of the board,” Chimenlli said. “We are certain this will happen and ask that this board does not make any major decisions, which will only serve to make the course of the next board more difficult.”
The Catskill High School Leadership Greene club will hold a candidate event where only students will be allowed to ask questions at 6 p.m. Monday in the high school library.
The school board is set to hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday on its proposed $49.4 million 2024-25 school budget at 6 p.m. in the high school library.
The annual school budget vote and Board of Education election is May 21 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Catskill High School gymnasium.