State Assemblyman Sean Ryan is criticizing the Buffalo School Board's search for a new leader. Ryan held a news conference Monday morning at his Delaware Avenue office in Buffalo calling on the board to hire a consulting firm to conduct a national superintendent search.
"Basically it appears they are putting on ad on Craigslist and they're calling that a national search," said Ryan.
Ryan accuses the school board's majority of conducing a "top down" search and excluding the community from the process.
"The process the board has outlined is haphazard," noted Ryan. "It's not even actually recognized as a practice what they're doing."
Last week the school board did an about-face and backed off on trying to appoint the principal of Emerson High School as the next superintendent when the district received backlash from the community and minority school board members.
Instead, the board announced plans to conduct a national search and wrap it up by June 1. Interim superintendent Donald Ogilive will be leaving at the end of June.
But Ryan said that is too soon to find a qualified leader and the search should be extended beyond that date.
"Right now I think things are happening in a top down manner," said Ryan. I would invite the school board -- all of them -- to go hold some community meetings and see what the community has to say."
