June 2, 2014

With the incoming Board of Education (BOE) to be seated thirty days from now and the
overwhelming mandate from voters to implement reform education policies, the majority of
members of the incoming BOE plan to immediately hit the ground running on July 1, 2014 and
take three actions immediately to change the leadership of the Buffalo Public Schools (BPS):

1. Elect Jim Sampson as BOE President and Jay McCarthy as BOE Executive Vice-President.
2. Appoint an Interim Superintendent to serve for up to two years to reform and restructure
the BPS to better serve the children of Buffalo.
3. Rebuild the BPS relationship with parents by reconciling the differences with the District
Parent Coordinating Council and with the N.Y.S. Education Department (SED) by submitting
bona fide turn-around plans to the State Education Department.

The BPS has suffered from bad judgment, incompetence, equivocation, racism and corruption.
It is in a state of chaos. Morale doesnt exist in the teacher, principal and parent constituencies.
46 of its 57 schools are failing under N.Y. State Education Department (SED) standards. In 2012
the graduation rate was 46%. Attendance is terrible. Millions of dollars are wasted on
consultants, Education Partnership Organizations, busing, unnecessary health care costs, etc.
Proficiency was 9 and 12% respectively in the Math and English standardized testing last year.
Systemic violence, misbehavior and bullying prevail throughout the BPS.

Present leadership doesnt have the education, experience or skill, nor does it command the
respect or give the respect, to reform the BPS.

On the job training to reform dysfunction is nonsensical. So too with trial and error and hit or
miss leadership, bad decisions, the lack of transparency and secret meetings.
Marginalizing parent participation and failing to support the creation of more neighborhood
and charter schools is unacceptable.

During the past school year, actions on critical issues repeatedly turned into failures, whether it
be the rejection of School Improvement and EPO plans or the illegal hiring of unlicensed senior
administrators.

Now suddenly crying out for transparency and process, the present BOE majority is using the
lame argument that a seamless transition is only possible with the extension of Mary Guinns
contract which conflicts with the incoming BOE reform policy and will unfairly obligate the BPS
to pay termination compensation when she is fired again after July 1, 2014.

Superintendent Pamela Brown declared she intends to resign before June 30, 2014. The
incoming BOE does not want the current Deputy Superintendent, Mary Guinn, to continue
beyond her current contract expiration on June 30, 2014. Any attempt to extend her contract
will be illegal. The District needs to prepare for the Summer and Fall sessions. Barbara Smith,
the CFO, can handle the responsibility.

Considering the huge task ahead, Jay McCarthy, as Executive Vice-President of the incoming
and outgoing BOE will take the following actions:

1. Immediately issue a press release and post the position of short term Interim Superintendent
seeking applications from any properly licensed, and otherwise qualified experienced in
supervising a School District from Western New York, submission to include his or her resume
(with cover letter describing his or her unique qualities) to James Kane on or before June 16,
2014.

Thereafter, a three person review committee consisting of outgoing President Nevergold,
incoming President James Sampson, and Executive Vice President Jason McCarthy will receive
and select candidates to be scheduled and interviewed by the full incoming BOE prior to July 1
st
.

2. The present BOE will appoint Barbara Smith as Temporary Superintendent to fill any gap
between the date of Pamela Browns resignation and July 1, 2014 with the support of the
existing leadership team and Judy Elliot.



3. The present BOE will take no action on the extension of Mary Guinns contract or that of any
management level employee prior to July 1
st
and will also refrain from any actions that would
move exempt employees to civil service protected positions.

4. The present BOE will table the pending proposal to modify the Districts parent engagement
policy until after July 1
st
.

5. Staff will present to the incoming BOE an evaluation of plans recently rejected by State Ed
with recommendations and resubmission.

All incoming and outgoing members of the BOE should honor the intent of the voting public and
allow the new Board to set the course for the District going forward. It will be very costly to the
District for a lame duck Board to hamstring the future Board with any of the leadership group of
the past. Thank you.