The Buffalo Board of Education convened Wednesday's meeting at 5:30 p.m. After a session of issues, controversy and some name calling, the meeting was adjourned around midnight.
The school district has many problems to deal with, and most of them came up during Wednesday's meeting. It included a proposal not to have summer school this year for students up through sixth grade because last summer didn't go well.
Board members discussed the district's tattered finances as well as putting pressure on parents who want their kids to go to criteria schools to take state tests. Members also talked about the impending departure of Interim Superintendent Donald Ogilvie.
"We've got a lot of issues related to budget constraints and budget deficit and so some of the hard decisions that we have to make," said Board Member Barbara Seals Nevergold.
"As Mr. Quinn is always reminding us of the deficit that we have, looked at the summer school for that age group last year and staff reported that about 50 percent of the kids dropped out."
There are some alternatives on the table, including much more use of community groups and libraries. Summer school was just one of the budget areas where speakers showed up to demand more spending, summer school and instrumental music.
The board also voted to push through turning back vacant buildings to the city in the hope of some they would be taken over by charter schools.
