A few accusations, and some other things, were thrown around the table at Tuesday’s school board meeting. The board voted 2-4 (board member John Dunsmoor was absent for the vote but arrived at the meeting later on) on a resolution to seek the removal of sitting board member Fran Hoefer. Jim Tschudy and Tom DeCastro cast the lone yes votes. One board member noted that Hoefer wasn’t worth the cost it would take to remove him.
A move to reduce the number of administrators in the district by four came back to the table at Tuesday’s board of education meeting. Just as it did this spring, if failed to get the required support to pass. In other action, the board named a new law firm as the district’s attorney.
John Dunsmoor was named board VP. The board also continues to discuss the possibility of redistricting and/or reconfiguration.
The Oswego School Board member says the superintendent is trying to do something right. Instead of cutting him, the board should give him a chance. “I want to see if he can pull this (budget) off with no tax increase,” Hoefer added. The superintendent will present his proposed spending plan next week.
Oswego Board of Education member Fran Hoefer was escorted by police from a school board meeting in Middletown, New York Thursday night and was held in jail briefly, according to a report in the Middletown Times Herald-Record.
The school district’s superintendent is Ken Eastwood, who battled often with Hoefer when Eastwood was Superintendent of the Oswego City School District.
Budget discussions kick into high gear for school board. The superintendent will present his budget proposal to the board in the middle of next month. Board members say they want to keep the tax rate at zero, or even reduce it. Through all of the budget talks, the specter of staff cuts looms.
Board member Fran Hoefer was already slated to attend the upcoming New York State Schools Boards Association Conference. After a lengthy discussion, the board agreed to allow Sean Madden to go as well.
Board member claims that many students have been promoted to the next grade level before they are academically prepared. It contributes to the district’s dropout and low graduation rates, he said, adding, “I think social promotion is an absolute abject failure.”
The absentee ballot count in the race for the 17th District seat on the Oswego County Legislature has overturned the victory for the seat. Incumbent Mary Flett won the seat by 11 votes, taking 662 votes to challenger Dan Hoefer’s 651.
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