Another Buffalo School Board seat has opened up. Longtime developer and former co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres says he will not run for another term.
Quinn tells WBFO he sees the issues very differently than most of the current board members, and "it takes five people to effectuate change."
"I think the children of Buffalo are being seriously shortchanged and I don't believe that we've made the progress a lot of people like to celebrate," Quinn said, "and I think that the fight, if you will, to help children is not being taken as seriously as it needs to be taken and, at least in my view, we need a dramatic system change."
Quinn said he respects Superintendent Kriner Cash, but "you can't put a leader in a broken system."
Quinn points directly at the influence of the teacher's union, even in hirings and firings, and the "inequity" of opportunities for Buffalo's poor children versus those in other public and private schools, as what is wrong with the district.
"The thing that I'm most proud of is that we really put an emphasis on early elementary education and we reduced the size of classrooms. We supposedly got good certified reading teachers and we made and emphasis on that," Quinn said. "I've been a proponent of community schools, which quite frankly was Carl Parladino's idea, and I think it's having some great success.I think the people in Say Yes are a great force in education. So it's not like there haven't been good things, there have."
The South Buffalo representative said he will remain active in the issues and may throw his support behind other board members running for another term.
All nine Buffalo School Board seats are up for election this May. However, Board President Barbara Seals Nevergold, another at-large member, announced last week she is not seeking re-election. Also not seeking re-election at At-Large Member Patricia Pierce and East District Member Theresa Harris-Tigg.
WBFO's Eileen Buckley contributed to this story.
