There was not a great deal of agreement at the Special PTA Meeting held at Trinity School last night except all could agree that Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak was overbearing, rude, arrogant and condescending. Business courses in Crisis Management could use a video of Organisciak’s performance to demonstrate how not to behave when dealing with community outrage.
The Board of Education members, Superintendent of Schools, and Trinity School Principal held a meeting with the parents association at the school (November 3, 2011) but the issues raised remained unanswered. Entering the school auditorium a set of printed questions set the tone for this meeting requested by the Trinity Parents. Questions about the hiring of Mrs. Nadine :Pacheco in 2007 centered on her lack of state certification which had lapsed previously (in 2005). Who was responsible for checking her credentials and what did Mrs. Pacheco indicate on her job application? Another set of questions concerned the future of Trinity School’s administrative staff.
Mr. Briceno, the Principal, had announced on October 24 that Mrs. :Pacheco’s resignation was “effective immediately.”
During the meeting the Superintendent of Schools, Richard Organisciak, said a state report due at the end of October precipitated this resignation. There were concerns that Mrs. Pacheco was still performing administrative duties such as working in the main office and overseeing the cafeteria. A second grade teacher, Ms Mussolini, was also targeted for replacement by Mrs. Pacheco. Since Trinity School parents are mostly working people without computers, they wanted to know why what a letter was posted on the website concerning the resignation. There was broad concern about whether the Superintendent, Principal and entire Board of Education will be “able to display transparency. Judging from the answers from them at the meeting, there was little attempt to answer parents’ concerns directly.
The President of the Board of Education, Christianne Petrone, spoke of Mrs. Pacheco’s leadership at Trinity and said there would be a void from her resignation. She said they would answer questions. Under Mr. Briceno, “Trinity had met everyone of the standards.” To replace Mrs. Pacheco, Organisciak said they were searching for a “competent super person.” One person in the audience, Vince Malfetano, was against removing Ms. Mussolini for someone else who had failed. He then admonished the large number of parents, teachers and community members by saying “Maybe next time you will come out to vote” (for the school board).
One parent wanted to know if Mrs. Pacheco actually was in possession of a valid administrative certification when hired. Petrone said they “recognized the oversight” and they were “trying to rectify it.” Another parent then asked why “Mrs. Pacheco was not here,” and this was followed by loud applause. She added, “Are you telling me there is no background check?” Organisciak added, ‘There will be a check from today.” But another parent added, “My children come first, we’ll stand by you.”
Malfetano again raised the removal of Mrs. Mussolini and wanted to know who supported this. In reply, Organisciak condescendingly replied, “Let’s get serious about what is going on. I don’t need to be insulted by you either.” Petrone added we “are responsive” but Malfetano added the audience should speak out at the next school board election day. Another parent warned the staff is becoming divided and the children should be thought of first. Petrone at this point said she did not want this discussion to “branch out.”
To loud applause, one of the teachers who works at Trinity School said the Board had taken the easy way out, adding, “We’re all going to suffer if you don’t fix this.” Organisciak then said a complete review of all personnel files would take place.
Kevin Barrett, Republican Candidate for City Council District 4, which is in the Trinity School area, said he had worked upstate for six years on a Board of Education and found the Board President sincere, but there has been tremendous neglect here. In this process the Board of Education has “to do something” about this situation.
Again and again parents asked why this uncertified administrator was allowed to continue and the answer from the Superintendent was “the information was inaccurate. Parents also felt Ms. Mussolini should not be removed, especially since children did not respond favorably to Ms. Pacheco’s personality. Malfetano then added that if child abuse is known, parents must be called and he was holding the administration responsible.
Kevin Barrett then added the Board is a policy making body. In his experience as a Board member a situation like this “wouldn’t have happened, heads would have rolled. This situation is hurting people. He felt fraud was involved because taxpayer’s money was used for an unqualified administrator. Laraine Karl felt a decision should be made that evening.
The PTA President, Ines Bolufer- Laurentie, finally spoke and said she did not want Ms.Mussolini’s position to change orMs. Pacheco to be harmed. She asked the Board to reconsider their decision.
Kevin Barrett
finally a prospective council member or current council member comment on the school district and board. He seemed a little too genteel, but he put i out there.
I want to be very active on the situation of the city taking much more responsbility for the school district in 2012.
Does anyone out there have accurate information on each of the current district schools in terms of what council district they are part of. I want to ensure that every council member picks up on this reponsibility and not simply casts a wink and a nod in this direction.
I would appreciate the information. I want to get very focused in 2012.
In a week or so after the election I want to post on a blog the salient points in the City Code concerning the roles, relationships, and responsibilities of the mayor, city council, and city manager.
It may not be sexy, supercharged, or emotionally ladened, but it will reflect what the Code says.
There are plenty of intelligent and caring members on the blog who can make something or nothing of it. I will inform you as best I can and Bob has already given you a curriculum amount of information on the school district.
I intend to be positive, but very firm and decisive. I agree with many people who want change they can associate and identify with.
We either are a community or we are not. It is our choice. After all, as I and others have said, “we get the government we deserve.” This is a fight worth winning and winning as Americans have always won — straight at you, fair, and forgiving when over. No chest bumps, end zone hijinks, actually more of a dogged determination to make it a better place than we inherited or allowed to become.
Maybe we can send Organisciak back to Deer Park if they will have him. Our real educators in the trenches and our struggling parents deserve as much.
People down these parts, and that is most of you, are not here until the market loosens up. We are long termers for the most part and too many good folks have already left the fold.
So, Mister G, Warren, is reaching out for information. Wish a Council or Administration Member would pick up on this through this medium and pass it to me.
Get out Tuesday and Vote. And, Bob seems like you are feeling better and that is good. I suppose it is too much to ask of our mayor or council to visit Kevin Thomas at the hospital if has not been released. Maybe Bloomberg can fill in.
My Council Person
Right now Barry Fertel is my council person and in January Albert Tarantino will be the council person for my neighborhood. I am in the East End in the Sun Haven area. Trinity and IEY are our neighborhood schools.
Hope this helps.
RE: Richard Organisciak—???
You all agree that Richard Organisciak was overbearing, rude, arrogant and condescending at the Trinity school meeting the other night. You all know he is contemptuous and corrupt. Yet, none of you do anything about it??? FIRE HIM ! He works for all of you, the hardworking tax payers of New Rochelle. Petition for his removal. March if you have to in order to get rid of this cancer from the B of E ! Sex offenders, liars, and thieves all compose parts of the educational system of New Rochelle.YET, NOTHING is done??? What more will it take? Seriously, what more will it take before you people act to remove this creature from office??? Do not sit on your laurels. YOU are the Boss. YOU PAY the bills. You pay for his salary, benefits, and perks. There is no such thing as a victim here. You all volunteered to enable this beast. Now, volunteer to stop aiding and abetting him. You the hard working, tax paying citizens of New Rochelle are the boss. Now, act like one. Good luck.
Board Members LOVE Organisciak
Although no board member will every say why, they clearly love him and approve of him in every way. In June, they extended his contract a year early, gave him raises to circumvent a possible cap by Cuomo. I have NEVER heard a board member make a critical comment of Organisciak during a board meeting.
What should help understand some of this is that in her final days on the board, then-President Sara Richmond bulled through the contract extension. She was leaving and two new board members were coming on board and she chose to saddle the NEW board with a new contract for Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak just days before she left. Oh and then she went to work for the district law firm hired by Organisciak and which received MILLIONS in legal work from Organisciak and Richmond.
Or maybe it is all a just a big coincidence.
I Agree
It is time to buy out his contact and send him on his way. This would be a great use of our tax money. Let’s look at the outstanding teachers in our school district and promoting one of them. It seemed to work with James Gaddy and Linda Kelly. I did not always agreed with them, but I never doubted that their first interest was our children. It is time all citizens get involved and I think the present parents in the school district would welcome us all.
Why wait join the PTA in your neighborhood school and get involved. Starting helping and see what is really going on. Bob Cox has started the process. Let’s start moving to improve our schools.
What was the Board decision to be reconsidered?
“The PTA President, Ines Bolufer- Laurentie, finally spoke and said she did not want Ms.Mussolini’s position to change orMs. Pacheco to be harmed. She asked the Board to reconsider their decision.”
Could somebody please, explain to me, what decision was made by the Board, and needed to be reconsidered?
I did not attend the meeting, and from the article I can not understand what decision was made. Thanks.
Decision made BEFORE meeting
What made many parents upset is that after a number of questions and comments were made by parents, someone asked if the district would reconsider.
Chrisanne Petrone said they were there to communicate the decision that had been made. That caused more of a reaction and led to another, more direct question about whether the district was going to consider what was being said that night at which point Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak said “no” and that the decision had already been made.
Did Ned Rauch Throw Petrone Under the Bus ?
In trying to figure the timeline here, Ned reports Petrone as saying that the district has gone through the records for all administrators for the purpose of insuring all credentials are up to date . Aside from the notion of shouldn’t they be doing this anyway , not after the fact , how did lambert slip through the cracks ? Now after Ned reports this we have Mr Organisciak telling the Trinity PTA there will be a review of everyones credentials . He said/ she said ? Now Ned didn’t write this as a quote so it’s attribution could be his own take on what she said . Maybe she said something like I can’t believe that nitwit Organisciak doesn’t check on these things and Ned and the Journal holding true to form used their own form of spin control .