NEWBURGH – The four members of the philosophical minority on the Newburgh School Board, including President Darren Stridiron, have resigned saying the majority and the current superintendent, Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell, are playing the same games as the previous board and superintendent.
Stridiron was joined in his resignation by fellow board members Ryan Lamar, Renee Green, and Debra Bouley.
Stridiron said the board majority has spent more time on trying to impugn his integrity and attempt to have him removed rather than concentrate on the education of the children in the district.
He said he has been refused documentation that would aid the board in its deliberations to better the educational process. “Board members can be held liable for the district finances regardless of the lack of information provided by the administration,” Stridiron said.
And he said many of the duties of the board president “have been overtaken by the superintendent with the approval of the majority five board members.”
Stridiron said he has been denied entry into school buildings while majority members are allowed in. “The current policy of the district states the superintendent has no authority to deny a board member school visit,” Stridiron said. “This is not a functioning school board.”
In a lengthy statement, Stridiron said the school district did little of substance to correct the high school athlete grades and absenteeism allowed by the previous administration.
In a letter to the community concerning his resignation, Lamar said nothing has changed since former Superintendent Roberto Padilla was given a hefty financial deal to take a leave of absence until his contract runs out. “We are in the same ship, with the largely same crew and the same course, basically, as we were under the last superintendent,” Lamar said.
Newburgh School District Board of Education clerk Matthew McCoy released a statement confirming the resignation of the four board members. He also spoke to the rules that will govern how the board will operate with the four new vacancies.
“The Board of Education is a collective body of its members and the board requires at least five members present to conduct its business,” read McCoy’s statement. “As such, the five remaining members will continue to conduct business and follow the established policies and protocols of the Newburgh Enlarged City School District.”
