Community members, school employees and board members were given the opportunity to address the Springville-Griffith Board of Education at their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17. President Michael Connors opened the floor at the start of the meeting.
Nils Wikman of Springville commented on the recent debate over Athletic Director Bill Dickinson’s resignation. “I know the requirements for almost every administrative job in this district, including superintendent,” he said. “Contrary to popular belief the laws are not clear on certification for athletic director. I cannot find requirements listed in the state of New York for athletic director.” He also asked the Board members to stop using the word “transparency” when describing the school district. “Every other organization I’ve ever worked in has been more transparent than this one,” he said. “This Board has spent more time talking to attorneys than it has to faculty and staff,” he said.
A resident of Springville asked the Board to defer voting on Dickinson’s resignation for a week to consider all of the options. “There has been a lot of misinformation,” she said. “Things that we had to find out for ourselves that you didn’t tell us.” She said she found an online listing from the Tonawanda district advertising for the same position Dickinson held in Springville. The Tonawanda posting did not require an SDA. School Superintendent Vicki Wright clarified that when the Tonawanda District was notified about the error it was corrected and re-posted.
Another Springville resident commented that she called Albany on November 13 and was told that the S-GI Board had not checked to see if a job waiver was available for Dickinson. “They told me that it is up to the individual Board as to what qualifications an athletic director needs,” she said.
On the same note, a Springville woman asked, “If you say that this situation is too difficult to handle, you’re telling our kids that they don’t have to do their homework because it’s too hard.”
After all public comments had been accepted Board Member Robert Ketchum said that he had talked to many administrators at S-GI and all were well aware of what their certifications allowed them to do. “I don’t understand why Bill didn’t get his certification before now,” he said. “If he had, we wouldn’t have been here having this discussion. If he only had a few classes to complete I’d have no problem with a waiver, but he has a lot of work to do. I wish him well.”
Board Member Peter Sobota told the audience that he felt they deserved to hear why he was voting to accept Dickinson’s resignation. “For me it’s not so much the certification, even though the issue was problematic and involved,” he said. “Mr. Dickinson repeatedly violated a policy he was well aware of and that his job required him to enforce.” He said that administrators are paid more than other employees because their job is more difficult; that they have to implement and enforce school policies. “There’s a serious issue if an administrator is breaking the policy himself, especially before he’s tenured,” he added. Sobota also referred to several Springville students who were removed from their athletic teams because they violated a school code of conduct. “I didn’t hear anyone commenting about that,” he said. “We have to hold our employees to the same standards that we hold our students to.” He asked the audience to keep their opinions about Board members separate from the Board members’ families. “My 11-year-old son was asked why his father was trying to fire the athletic director,” Sobota said. “Leave our children out of your comments.”
Connors said he welcomed community members’ input on Board decisions. “Engage us in conversation,” he said. “If you agree with our vote, let us know. If you disagree let us know. But don’t yell at us and track us down.”
The Board voted to accept Dickinson’s formal resignation.
In other matters:
• Marsha Reding of Collins Center asked the Board to clarify why it was necessary to hire a school energy liaison for $17,000. Wright said the energy manager would survey the school buildings to see how efficiently the energy was being used. The school would not be spending any extra money because the company they hired guaranteed that there would be enough cost reduction in electric bills to cover the cost of the liaison’s salary. “If that doesn’t happen, they will pay for it themselves,” she said. “So there won’t be money coming out of the school’s pockets.” Wright also clarified that the school has to keep the energy manager in place for at least three years.
• Reding also asked the Board to consider televising the Board meetings. “A lot of people say they don’t have a computer but would like to know what happens at the meetings,” she said. “We can stream them on the public broadcasting channel.” She continued by asking the Board members to lower their computer screens when they were being addressed. “There’s a psychological wall there,” she said. “That wall has to come down.”
• A Springville woman asked the Board to consider remodeling the high school girls’ changing rooms. She said that the stalls are rusted, some of the dryers are falling off the wall and some of the showers don’t work. “You need to keep the warm feeling in the way you approach all matters,” she said.
• The Board voted to allow parents who disagreed with a psychological evaluation on their child to obtain an outsider’s opinion.
• Springville Students for Human Rights were approved to sponsor a Loose Change Drive and assist Key Club in organizing/running a food drive to benefit Gowanda residents affected by recent flooding.
• The Board approved a contract with Hamburg School Car, Inc., to transport one student one way from Immaculata Academy in Hamburg to Erie 1 BOCES from November through the end of June at an anticipated cost of $4,583.
• Diane Lamos was approved as long-term substitute Elementary teacher at CES; Greg Miller was approved as long-term substitute teacher at the middle school; both for $90 per day.
• Nancy Welch was approved as substitute clerk typist at the rate of $8.30 per hour. Cynthia Smith was approved as substitute cleaner at the rate of $7.50 per hour.
The next Springville-Griffith Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Springville Elementary School.