School board members took heat from former candidates and members of the public last night about filling the vacancies created when two board members resigned in protest last month.
Following brief discussion about whether to appoint people to fill both or just one of the vacant seats — or whether to call a special election — during which it reached no resolution, the board faced criticism from the audience. The board and administrators said they did not know how much a special election would cost the district. They were also unclear about how long an appointee would serve — would someone appointed to fill vacant seat where two years remain in the term serve the full unexpired term or would that seat be up for grabs — for a one-year term — at the next election in May 2018?
New York State Education Law provides that the board of education shall have the power and the duty to fill any vacancy on the board. It can call a special election within 90 days after the vacancy occurs. It can alternatively fill the vacancy by appointment. The person appointed “shall hold his office until the next regular school district election,” according to the statute.
Yolanda Thompson of Riverhead, who placed fourth in a five-way race for three school board seats in May, demanded that the board appoint her and Greg Fischer, who also ran in the May election, to fill the seats vacated last month by Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and Amelia Lantz.
“I don’t understand why there’s confusion about how to fill these seats when the answer is right in front of you,” Thompson said. “Eight-hundred and forty-five people have spoken,” she said, referring to the number of votes she got in the election. “When you have someone like myself — I want to volunteer my time. I have the qualifications. What’s the hold-up? Why are you not acting to do the right thing?”
Calverton resident Sal Mastropaolo said he also thinks the board should appoint Thompson and Fischer. “I totally agree,” he said after he followed Thompson to the podium. “If you’re not going to give the positions to the people who ran, we should have another election.”
Susan Tocci of Flanders faulted the board for not having all the information required to have a substantive discussion and make a decision — something she saw as a delay tactic.
“This board is very unbalanced,” Tocci said, noting that Greg Meyer, Christopher Dorr and Therese Zuhoski “ran as a team” with the support of the teachers union. “Those two seats have to be filled immediately,” she said. “We need to have checks and balances. The only one who goes against anything is Mrs. Downs. To allow this board to continue with those two vacancies is unacceptable. Unacceptable. We had an election and the only people that ran were these two other people, Yolanda Thompson and Greg Fischer and I really think — whether I agree with what they say or not — I really think they should be appointed,” Tocci said.
Fischer suggested other members of the board “need to resign” following allegations by Cotten-DeGrasse and Lantz last month concerning procedures followed by the board they charged violated the State Education Law and the Open Meetings Law.
Board members said they would take the matter up again at the next meeting.
Photo: Denise Civiletti
Members sworn in and new officers elected
Greg Meyer, Christopher Dorr and Therese Zuhoski were sworn in as trustees by district clerk Barbara O’Kula.
The board then elected Greg Meyer, a former board president, as president of the board for the new school year. Member Laurie Downs cast the only dissenting vote.
Susan Koukounas was elected vice president. Koukounas had served two terms as board president.
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