In an interview with WBFO’s Eileen Buckley, former school board President Dr. Barbara Nevergold says that Donald Ogilvie lacks experience in two key areas that should be demanded of the next Superintendent: urban experience and turnaround experience.
Mr. Ogilvie recently retired as Superintendent of Erie 1 BOCES, a regional vocational education provider that has catered mainly to suburban students; a position that held for 17 years. Prior to that position, Ogilvie ran the Hamburg School district, an affluent suburb noted for its lack of diversity.
“There has been no presentation to the board of this candidacy until an email came out yesterday that there was going to be a presentation the board on Wednesday,” Nevergold said to Buckley. “As the president, he does not have the authority to negotiate with Mr.Ogilvie or anyone else.”
“It is not up to the board president to set the salary, it’s up to the board.”
In a post to Facebook, Nevergold notes the lack of transparency of the board’s new majority — and notes the majority’s almost explicitly stated intention to disenfranchise the African American members of the board:
As recently as two weeks ago, board member Carl Paladino circulated a letter that said, in an derisive tone, that “becoming irrelevant will be difficult for present [now former] majority,” which is widely thought to confirm Paladino’s intention to disenfranchise the African American members of the board.
In the WBFO interview, Nevergold said that she wants to hire a Superintendent who has urban experience in a turnaround situation. It would be wise to also look for political and media skill sets as well, given the contentious nature of our region’s political culture.
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