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The Buffalo News: City & Region: Chairman steps down at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf
The chairman of the board at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo has stepped down amid mounting pressure from parents and staff unhappy with the way the school is being run.
In addition, a popular math teacher may be rehired, possibly within weeks, and the school’s board of trustees has begun a reorganization that will include opening up its process somewhat.
The moves were announced Tuesday afternoon by the School Board, which has been criticized as being disconnected from the day-to-day operations of the school.
“The past few months have been very difficult for the community of St. Mary’s,” interim Chairwoman Thomasina Stenhouse wrote in a letter to the school community. “. . . It is our hope that new opportunities for parent participation will result in productive collaborations which will strengthen the school now and in the years to come.”
Parents who have been anxiously awaiting news from the board say they are somewhat encouraged by the changes but say much more is needed to restore their confidence in St. Mary’s academic and athletic programs.
Parents say the resignation of longtime board Chairman Joseph S. DePaolo is a good sign, but they’re waiting to see who will replace him. The board needs more leadership from people directly connected to the deaf community, parents say.
Talk of a parent advisory group seems encouraging, but parents say such a group needs to be given the ability to help bring about change.
And negotiations to bring back Nettie Brewer, the teacher who was dismissed last month, should be progressing faster than they are, some say.
“I know how politics come into play and things can get dragged out, and that is what I did not want to happen,” said Steve Flowers, whose two children attend St. Mary’s. “If it gets dragged out, it’s bad for the school. People need to be sitting down and resolving these issues right now.”
For many in the St. Mary’s community, the dismissal of Brewer in early March was a breaking point, spawning student protests as well as parent demands that the administration address a string of concerns that had been building for months.
Following a closed-door board meeting March 19, school officials said many of the issues being raised were addressed, but they declined at the time to comment further.
As it turns out, that meeting marked the starting point for the changes announced Tuesday, including steps to get Brewer back on the payroll.
The teachers union late Thursday afternoon received a proposal drafted by the school attorney that offers Brewer her job back but stipulates she remain on probation an additional 15 months. The document also lists concerns the administration has with Brewer, including allegations that she is not a team player and doesn’t show adequate respect to the principal, and it restricts what she would be allowed to do if she returns. The document also expresses concern over her students’ test scores.
Union officials said that the allegations are unfounded and that Brewer’s students do as well as any in the deaf community.
Brewer said she has had no contact with school officials and doesn’t know if she will be returning to St. Mary’s. She’s been working as an interpreter for the deaf in a variety of settings since she left the school.
“I’ve experienced some really positive things outside of St. Mary’s. [Returning] would be something I’d really have to think about,” she said.
While Brewer’s status remains under negotiation, other changes at the school are more certain.
DePaolo cited health reasons for his resignation but acknowledged that the ongoing controversies at the school played a role in his decision to step down.
“It may have contributed,” he said. DePaolo has been on the board much of the past 12 years.
“I’ve given many years of volunteering service to the school,” he said Tuesday. “I just feel like right now I am trying to get my health in shape.”
With DePaolo’s resignation, Vice Chairwoman Stenhouse will serve as interim chairwoman until the board convenes to elect DePaolo’s replacement.
Meanwhile, the board already is promising to be more accessable.
Board members on March 26 turned down a request by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, who is on the St. Mary’s board, to open its meetings to the public. But the board did agree to begin posting summaries of its meetings on the school Web site.
The board also agreed to set up a parent advisory group headed by one of the board members, Sister Virginia Young. The board also has committed to holding general meetings throughout the year with parents, students and alumni as well as faculty and staff.
Opinions about all the changes vary within the St. Mary’s community. Hoyt is hopeful the school is moving in the right direction.
“I think there is a real movement of change and an attitude change at St. Mary’s School for Deaf, and I am pleased with the developments,” he said.
The chairman of the board at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo has stepped down amid mounting pressure from parents and staff unhappy with the way the school is being run.
In addition, a popular math teacher may be rehired, possibly within weeks, and the school’s board of trustees has begun a reorganization that will include opening up its process somewhat.
The moves were announced Tuesday afternoon by the School Board, which has been criticized as being disconnected from the day-to-day operations of the school.
“The past few months have been very difficult for the community of St. Mary’s,” interim Chairwoman Thomasina Stenhouse wrote in a letter to the school community. “. . . It is our hope that new opportunities for parent participation will result in productive collaborations which will strengthen the school now and in the years to come.”
Parents who have been anxiously awaiting news from the board say they are somewhat encouraged by the changes but say much more is needed to restore their confidence in St. Mary’s academic and athletic programs.
Parents say the resignation of longtime board Chairman Joseph S. DePaolo is a good sign, but they’re waiting to see who will replace him. The board needs more leadership from people directly connected to the deaf community, parents say.
Talk of a parent advisory group seems encouraging, but parents say such a group needs to be given the ability to help bring about change.
And negotiations to bring back Nettie Brewer, the teacher who was dismissed last month, should be progressing faster than they are, some say.
“I know how politics come into play and things can get dragged out, and that is what I did not want to happen,” said Steve Flowers, whose two children attend St. Mary’s. “If it gets dragged out, it’s bad for the school. People need to be sitting down and resolving these issues right now.”
For many in the St. Mary’s community, the dismissal of Brewer in early March was a breaking point, spawning student protests as well as parent demands that the administration address a string of concerns that had been building for months.
Following a closed-door board meeting March 19, school officials said many of the issues being raised were addressed, but they declined at the time to comment further.
As it turns out, that meeting marked the starting point for the changes announced Tuesday, including steps to get Brewer back on the payroll.
The teachers union late Thursday afternoon received a proposal drafted by the school attorney that offers Brewer her job back but stipulates she remain on probation an additional 15 months. The document also lists concerns the administration has with Brewer, including allegations that she is not a team player and doesn’t show adequate respect to the principal, and it restricts what she would be allowed to do if she returns. The document also expresses concern over her students’ test scores.
Union officials said that the allegations are unfounded and that Brewer’s students do as well as any in the deaf community.
Brewer said she has had no contact with school officials and doesn’t know if she will be returning to St. Mary’s. She’s been working as an interpreter for the deaf in a variety of settings since she left the school.
“I’ve experienced some really positive things outside of St. Mary’s. [Returning] would be something I’d really have to think about,” she said.
While Brewer’s status remains under negotiation, other changes at the school are more certain.
DePaolo cited health reasons for his resignation but acknowledged that the ongoing controversies at the school played a role in his decision to step down.
“It may have contributed,” he said. DePaolo has been on the board much of the past 12 years.
“I’ve given many years of volunteering service to the school,” he said Tuesday. “I just feel like right now I am trying to get my health in shape.”
With DePaolo’s resignation, Vice Chairwoman Stenhouse will serve as interim chairwoman until the board convenes to elect DePaolo’s replacement.
Meanwhile, the board already is promising to be more accessable.
Board members on March 26 turned down a request by Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, who is on the St. Mary’s board, to open its meetings to the public. But the board did agree to begin posting summaries of its meetings on the school Web site.
The board also agreed to set up a parent advisory group headed by one of the board members, Sister Virginia Young. The board also has committed to holding general meetings throughout the year with parents, students and alumni as well as faculty and staff.
Opinions about all the changes vary within the St. Mary’s community. Hoyt is hopeful the school is moving in the right direction.
“I think there is a real movement of change and an attitude change at St. Mary’s School for Deaf, and I am pleased with the developments,” he said.
