Nearly six hours into their meeting Wednesday night, Buffalo School Board members gave in to exhaustion and went home.
Usually at this time of year, teachers are looking at lesson plans, schools are being readied and the academic year is approaching, but Buffalo schools have major issues lingering.
Board Member Carl Paladino assailed plans that call for a massive reorganization of the district's top echelons.
"That general approval that was given was to go forward and prepare a plan but bring it back for the specifics because the specifics are the policy and this board has to rule on policy matters," Paladino said.
"Especially, the complete restructuring of the upper echelon of the Board of Education."
Paladino is threatening to go to court to block the management restructuring. Schools Superintendent Pamela Brown says will save a million dollars; Paladino says will cost millions.
The plan moves people around and adds titles like "Chief of Talent Management," replacing human resources director.
With the start of school just two weeks away, Board President Barbara Seals Nevergold says she hopes staff and the State Education Department can work out major differences during meetings in Albany today and tomorrow
"It's certainly a concern, certainly a concern that we have. But, I know that I think that the staff at the schools are in the mode that we are going to have this happen. And, so of course, we are thinking positively because we have to work to be ready for the children when the schools open."
Early in the meeting, Superintendent Brown produced new academic data indicating progress in the schools, with summer school pushing the graduation rate up from 48 percent last year to 56 percent this year.
