WBFO News has received confirmation that the President of Canisius High School has announced his resignation. Rev. Joseph Costantino, S.J. announced his resignation Monday to the school's board of trustees and to members of the school and alumni Tuesday evening.
Costantino said the decision was in the "best interest" of the high school.
Canisius public relations director Tom Lucia telling WBFO Father Costantino's resignation was offered by him at the Board of Trustees meeting Monday. The Board accepted the resignation.
Costantino will remain in his current role as president for the rest of the school year which will end in ending May.
The announcement follows the conclusion of an independent report issued Friday that suggested reforms following the fire of the school's dean of students late last year. However, Lucia said The resignation did not have anything to do with the findings. Lucia noted "the report did not call for any changes in leadership, only the policy recommendations that were included in the release."
Beck O'Connor was terminated in November at the school for the discipline of a student football player Brad Zaffram. Zaffram was suspended for reportedly cheating. But it's believed O'Connor was fired for not responding sooner.
"It was with regret that the Board accepted Father Joe’s resignation at its meeting on Monday. Until his tenure at president ends in late May, he will have the full support and backing of the Board. The members of its Executive Committee have been asked to reach out to a highly qualified, Jesuit educator to replace Father Joe in May. That process will begin soon and will incorporate the input from multiple stakeholders including faculty, parents, and alumni. The entire CHS community thanks Father Joe for his diligent work and service to the school and its students," said Robert Reger, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The school has indicated that would be "no further comment on the matter will be issued until a new president is named."
The following was a letter issued by the chair of the Canisius High School Board of Trustees:
To members of the Canisius Community:
Yesterday, you received an announcement from Rev. Joseph Costantino, S.J., regarding his decision to step down as president of Canisius High School. The Board of Trustees was informed of his wishes at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, and has accepted Father Joe’s resignation with regret.
Until his tenure at Canisius comes to an end in late May 2015, Father Joe will have the full support of the Board and will continue to have the authority needed to manage all aspects of the school as president. He and I will continue to be in close contact through this time of transition.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the Board unanimously instructed the members of its Executive Committee to reach out to a specific, highly qualified, Jesuit educator to replace Father Joe in May. The Executive Committee will commence a due diligence process in late March with respect to this candidate. This process will include introducing him to multiple CHS constituents.
I expect the members of the Executive Committee to complete their work in mid-April. The Board will then review the Committee’s findings, and a final decision on whether to offer the position
The members of the Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Father Joe for his exhaustive and inspired work as president of Canisius High School. We wish him the very best.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Reger, Jr. ’66
Chair, CHS Board of Trustees
The following are the reforms the Board has endorsed.
Coaches & Administrators
Canisius High School will move toward a structure that separates coaching and leadership positions. As a general rule, members of the school leadership and academic administration should not serve as coaches. The Canisius administration has been directed to establish appropriate guidelines, policies, and procedures consistent with this structure.
Admissions
A majority of the standing Admissions Committee should review all nontraditional applications (that is, freshman applicants following registration and all transfer applicants). Acceptance of non-traditional applicants will be based on the consensus decision of a minimum of five of the seven committee members. Those members must include the principal, assistant principal for academics, admissions director, and two otrher Admissions Committee members. The Office of Admissions will develop an examination or other objective criteria (such as standardized test scores, Regents exam scores, etc.) for determining the acceptance of transfer students.
Financial Aid
The school will continue to follow best practices regarding the awarding of financial aid. Specifically, financial aid decisions should be treated separately from admissions decisions and in a manner that counters any perception that financial aid awards favor any particular type of student, beyond demonstrated need.
Academic Honesty
The administrative decisions and protocol at the center of this independent review were in response to allegations of academic dishonesty, a matter of concern in all schools. The school must commit to more extensive student programming that reaffirms academic honesty as a core value and characteristic of Jesuit secondary education. The administration should also discern ways of continually improving the alignment of policies and practices with the goal of affirming academic honesty.
