A group of parents in Buffalo Public Schools is calling for the State Education Department (NYSED) to step in and essentially cut off the authority of the board of education.
The District Parent Coordinating Council (DPCC) also filed a petition to remove Carl Paladino from his seat on the board Wednesday. Legal documents call out "gross misconduct" from the board member related to his controversial comments in Artvoice.
But parents said the board is not effective and has spent years getting distracted by political fights, ignoring the body's responsibility to the students.
"As you know, our board has basically been a circus act," said Bryon McIntyre, Vice President of DPCC. "All the discussion has been about personalities and different political positions. The focus has not been on the children--putting children and families first."
According to information on NYSED's website, the department grants authority to a school receiver when a particular school has a track record of poor performance.
Right now, fifteen of the sixty schools in BPS are in receivership.
Board member Larry Quinn thinks there is some merit to receivership in struggling schools, but doesn't agree with the DPCC's request to place the entire district in that standing.
"You have got to be careful what you wish for," Quinn said. "The superintendent is doing a fairly decent job, but he needs oversight. He needs to report to somebody. We don't want to untether his operations from any kind of oversight. That would be a big mistake."
