|
Depew Board of Education debates replacing Fullington
Depew Superintendent of Schools Robert DeFilippo announced the resignation of Trustee Scott Fullington at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, and as a result the board set up a schedule that it hopes will culminate in the appointment of a new board member by the beginning of the 2006-07 school year.
However, the agreement did not come without a slight debate among board members after the reorganization meeting concerning how the seventh trustee would be appointed and who it would be.
Trustees Diane Benczkowski and Wendy Graves raised the point that since school board elections were held recently where voters seemed to have made a statement in great support towards two newcomers in an election that returned incumbents Timothy Schunk and Sue Wagner, the third-place finisher in the election should be appointed to replace Fullington.
Benczkowski made a motion to appoint the third-place finisher from
the May elections, Sharon Bistoff, but newly appointed board president Wagner, Steven Carmina, who moved from president to vice president, Barb Staebell and Schunk voted against the resolution.
The four voiced their opinion that anyone interested should be able to send a letter of interest to the district and go through the due process of being reviewed for consideration.
Carmina also said appointing the seventh board member based on the past elections would be unfair because there were candidates who would have petitioned to run for board seats but did not because they had confidence in the work of Schunk and Wagner.
Graves responded by saying she would question the seriousness of potential candidates if they did not petition to participate in the past election.
"Whenever there was a need to appoint a new board member, I remember always going through the process of interviewing," Wagner noted.
The board decided to allow interested candidates, who must be residents of the district for at least one year, have obtained their high school diploma and be at least 18 years of age, to send letters of interest to Cynthia Jordan in the district clerk's office by July 28.
Since there will be no second meeting in July, the board agreed to review the applicants during the next meeting on August 1, then tentatively conduct interviews at or around the August 15 meeting. The board hopes to appoint a seventh member by the Sept. 5 meeting, which is a day before the start of the school year.
Fullington leaves the board with a resignation effective June 26 because of a new job that would prohibit his attendance at meetings. Wagner, a veteran board member, takes over a seat she held in 2000 and 2001.
"I really hope to see us move forward and regroup, because there's been contention amongst the board," Wagner told the Times.
In other board news:
To offset rising costs in the cafeteria budget of $943,708, school meals will rise in cost by 25 cents next year. Breakfast at all four schools will increase to 85 cents, while lunch at Cayuga Heights Elementary will be $1.40 and at the middle and high schools, $1.50. Wagner said those costs still remain on the lower end of the scale with other area schools and that the district offers a "good product for the money."
An audit committee resolution was passed, naming all six board members to the committee newly formed last year due to New York State mandates. Wagner told the Times she believes by some point this fall the committee may drastically change and consist of only five members, three of whom would probably be board members and the other two community members.
The Cheektowaga Times was again designated as the district's coofficial newspaper.
| 
