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School board tussles over appointments

Mike Desmond/wbfo news

While harsh words have become a standard feature of Buffalo school board meetings, Tuesday's session featured an unusually harsh attack on Buffalo Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash.

Board Member Sharon Belton Cottman's report card on the superintendent was one of the lowest of the board members who rated Cash in his annual performance review. That criticism continued during last night's session as a  vocal dispute broke out over the superintendent's recommendations on appointments for specific school buildings.

"I didn't see the leadership that existed in any of these," Belton Cottman said of the superintendent's choices. She wants answers regarding the motivation behind the moves.

Cash defended his choices during a terse exchange, saying that they are "about what's best for these schools." He cited his own overview of the needs of the district as the basis for the personnel decisions.

That assertion did not quell the board member's irritation.

"You assured me that principals would be allowed to interview people that are coming into their building. That's something that you promised me and it's not happening," Belton Cottman said. 

"It's the same thing that has been going on in this system since I have been sitting at this table."

 

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.