Acting on concerns received by Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan and several state legislators, the New York State Education Department authorized the Buffalo School Board to maintain a vacant position so the district could focus on resolving serious allegations against its former superintendent and a sitting board member.
But on Monday, the Buffalo Board of Education voted for a replacement in the vacant North District seat anyway.
In a vote passed by five members, Roscoe Henderson III was appointed to the position. He's a retired Buffalo police officer.
That vote was the culmination of hours of interviews with six declared applicants. Three board members abstained from voting — Lawrence Scott, Erik Bohen and Adrianna Zullich — and we now know, at least in Scott's case, it was because of the letter sent to the board by New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa which gave them leeway to focus on the "significant turmoil" in Buffalo Public Schools first.
Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga resigned abruptly earlier this month, after only a year on the job. Later it was revealed he was named in a notice of claim, along with School Board member Muki Hawkins, alleging sexual harassment of a fellow district official.
Hawkins has denied wrongdoing, and said he will not resign despite calls to do so. He was among board members who voted Monday to fill the vacancy left by Cindi McEachon's resignation from the School Board, who left her post early citing dysfunction and lack of transparency in the district.
Assemblymembers Pat Burke and Jon Rivera, as well as State Senator April Baskin have joined Mayor Ryan in requesting some kind of state intervention amid the issues in leadership of BPS.
"The State Education Department possesses both the constitutional responsibility and statutory authority to ensure that school districts fulfill their obligations to students, taxpayers, and the public," wrote Burke. "The question is no longer whether Buffalo's students are being harmed by this instability, but rather how much longer we are willing to allow it to continue?"
BTPM News reached out to the Education Department for the latest.
"Commissioner Rosa spoke with Assemblymember Rivera about concerns raised by the local delegation and legislative options," said department spokesperson JP O’Hare. "The Department is also in contact with district leadership."
While the State Board of Regents and Education Department are not responsible for the day-to-day operations of public school districts, they can put persistently failing schools into a state receivership program.
Several individual Buffalo Public Schools are already in the receivership program, which provides targeted technical and administrative support to get schools back on track.
