Giuliano ordered a police guard at the School Administration building after last Thursday's Common Council meeting during which the Council voted to conduct an audit of school finances. Last night, Chairman of the Board of Education Ted Raczka demanded that the police vacate the building after a hastily-called Board of Education meeting about the controversy. Police refused to leave after a tense confrontation with Raczka, Superintendent Michael Frechette, Board members and administrative staff.
Raczka asked police to vacate the building because he claimed the building is under control of the Board of Education, and not the city. Common Council member Deborah Kleckowsky, who was on the scene informed Raczka that she believed the building was city property.
"It's a public building," Giuliano said. "I don't understand the 'right of privacy' that Michael Frechette is claiming for the building. We also don't need a warrant because we are not conducting a search. And besides, the records, aside from student records, are public records. And the records of non-certified employees are city records that we have a right to examine."
The mayor confirmed that he has met with Blum Shapiro to initiate an audit of Board of Education finances.
Giuliano also commented on his order to immediately terminate all non-certified Board of Education employees who have been hired by the Board outside of existing city labor contracts.
"We should not be paying employees who are not legally hired," Giuliano said. "According to the city charter all employees at the Board of Ed who are not required to have a certification, except for the para's and Ken Jackson, are hired by the mayor and subject to the rules of the city. Those employees who were hired by the Board of Ed need to be terminated and stopped being paid immediately."
Honestly, if there is nothing to hide, why fight the investigation?????
ReplyDeleteOver to the 3 special edudcation administrators, why are we cutting a program"deal" which took care of the special needs and behavioral children in the middletown school system for about 20 years? Then to replace it in other schools which are not equipted to handle these kids.
Don't you realize that this program has worked for my kid and many other children successfully under the leadership of the deal staff.
Your doing this city an unjustice, if the superintendent were half the man Carol parmelee Blancato was the woman he would stop this and keep the program where it is..
Get rid of these women who say they are for the children!!!!!
These children thrive in a small enviornment and need special attention.
Why do you need to place out children when there is a program here in our city to handle them??????
I don't know who wrote the previous comment, but I too am a parent of a deal child. I am outraged that they closed this program under the disguise of redistricting. This was a program that SAVED the district money by not outsourcing the children to private non profit programs! The staff are wonderful, the kids are thriving....what is going to happen when you send them back to the old fashioned "special ed" class? I have a child without autism that I am concerned about as well because how can the teachers teach her with a large class size and now children that THE SCHOOL HAS DETERMINED can not be kept safely in the regular classrooms! You are cutting a vital service that SAVED the administration money; ALL the children will suffer from this decision.
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