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MARKTALK ALBANY (NY) EXCLUSIVE: GUILDERLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT VOWS TO BAR PUBLIC FROM “EMERGENCY” MEETING, DUCKS INVITATION TO EXPLAIN

Response to my inquiry of Guilderland Board of Education Richard Weisz regarding my iquiry of the board president about my sources’ information that the “emergency” Monday evening meeting.  

First is my email to him:

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From: Mark Williams [mailto:mark@marktalk.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2008 12:30 PM
To: mcguirej@guilderlandschools.org
Subject: an old Nixon dirty trick?

Word is trickling to me that you plan to hold tomorrow’s (7/7) “Emergency” board meeting in a conference room so that you may enlist the local fire marshal to declare anybody who tries to speak part of a dangerous and illegal gathering and thus subject to arrest.

I am reporting as such on my web site, along with the notation that I have contacted you and am awaiting response. You may respond via email, posted comment to the on-line story (in the News & Commentary Section of http://www.MarkTalk.com) or call me directly at my 24/7 line (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

FYI, this will be the topic of conversation most of Monday afternoon ( 2-6 PM) again on my local radio show (590 AM WROW) and will be uploaded to MarkTalk.com for my international RSS subscribers.

Thank you
Mark Williams
CEO MarkTalk LLC / http://www.MarkTalk.com

Host NewsTalk 590 WROW AM
Columnist The Sacramento Union Newspaper
Contributor Fox News Channel

Here is response:

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Return-path:
Envelope-to: mark@marktalk.com
Delivery-date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:22:22 -0700

your information is incorrect. We will be deciding whether to proceed in executive session or not as is required under our policy. If we proceed in executive session, we will not do it in front of the public.private weisz

And my answer to that:

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From: Mark Williams [mailto:mark@marktalk.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2008 8:07 PM
To: Weisz, Richard
Subject: Re: an old Nixon dirty trick?Are you available for an on air interview (via telephone) at any point between 2 & 6 PM tomorrow (Monday), regarding this story?

As his answer shows, he has no stomach to answer questions:

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Return-path:
Envelope-to: mark@marktalk.com
Delivery-date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:22:22 -0700  

sorry, I have got hearings tomorrow and can’t commit to being free

Maybe another day

private

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Monday, July 7, 2008  Guilderland school board to meet again next week
Updated: 07/07/2008 10:58 PM
By: Web Staff

GUILDERLAND, N.Y. -- The school board will meet again next Monday at 8 a.m. to vote on a motion whether or not they should even be involved in taking action in the controversy at the high school.

Board members spent nearly four hours in executive session to discuss whether or not to uphold the Superintendent's decision to move two popular high school social studies teachers to the middle school. It's a decision that's come under fire from members of the public, including current and former students.

More than 400 people showed up to last week's meeting and some students have even created web sites and Facebook and MySpace pages supporting Matt Nelligan and Anne Marie McManus.

Superintendent McGuire has said he decided to transfer the teachers due to concerns that their classroom climate wasn't consistent with the district's priorities relating to diversity, respect and civility, but won't release details because it is a personnel matter.

According to the teachers, the allegations come from a Climate Inquiry and are unfounded. They say their reputations and good-names have been defamed. That's why they're hoping the school board will reverse the decision and let them teach at the high school next year.

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Guilderland Teachers' Fates Still Uncertain
  Reported by: Paul Merrill
Email: paulmerrill@fox23news.com
Videographer: M. Wickham
Last Update: 11:18 pm  

Print Story | Email Story    

Guilderland's school board could decide the fate of two popular social studies teachers as soon as next Monday morning.

The board is scheduled to meet at 8:00 a.m. on July 14th to publicly discuss the proposal to move Guilderland High School social studies teachers Matt Nelligan and Ann Marie McManus to Farnsworth Middle School

School district leaders will also release the results of the so-called "culture climate survey" that prompted the proposed teacher reassignments.

These decisions came after this Monday's school board meeting.

The meeting began at 6:00 p.m. but board members quickly voted to meet behind closed doors.

Jeers accompanied the board members and Superintendent John McGuire as they went into executive session.

"I'm just disappointed, though, that this is the second week in a row that we've had to talk to empty chairs," says rising high school senior Elijah Sharma, referring to a similar incident that occurred at the board's July 1st meeting.

As school leaders met in secret, students and parents held their own public forum to discuss the proposed teacher reassignments.

Cheers erupted about an hour into that impromptu meeting as Nelligan and McManus arrived.

The tenured teachers want to stay at Guilderland High School.

McManus says, "When I got the job to be a high school teacher, I was so inspired to motivate and to reach out and touch young people's lives at this level because of what you are doing right now in this room."

Superintendent McManus says there is a disrespectful environment in the high school's social studies department.

He tells us, "The changes that we're making are designed to reconfigure that department, hopefully, so we have a chance to have a more respectful environment for all of our teachers."

McManus says Nelligan and McManus are not part of the problem at the high school.

The two social studies teachers are vocal critics of the district leadership and teacher's union but their classroom credentials are evident by the packed houses at the meetings deciding their fates.

McManus was on maternity leave when the district conducted its "culture climate survey."

Nelligan is an award-winning teacher who instructs his students to ask questions and back up their decisions.

"It seems to me like the school board, instead of transferring him, should be taking his class," says Brian Hill who graduated from Guilderland High School in 2005.

Nelligan tells past and present students, "We're going to make sure our voice is heard."

District officials did not know how long it would take before they are able to release the redacted documents.

Former school board member Peter Golden tells FOX23 News that the current school board is implementing a delay tactic.

Golden says he believes the board is hoping that members of the public will read the results of the "culture climate survey" and tone down their opposition to the teacher reassignments.  

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Posted at: 07/01/2008 11:47:56 PM

Updated at: 07/02/2008 12:42:38 PM

By: Jim Kambrich

Print Story   Email to a Friend


Transfer of Guilderland teachers protested  
  
GUILDERLAND - Approximately 200 protestors packed the Guilderland School Board meeting Tuesday night - students, teachers and parents. They're angered over the forced transfer of two popular social studies teachers.

Matt Nelligan and Anne Marie McManus are being transferred to Farnsworth Middle School for the start of school in September.  

Nelligan said the administration accused the social studies department of having an inappropriate climate and blamed him and McManus for it.  

Nelligan said they've done nothing wrong.

At one point the meeting became so heated, the Board left the room early to go into private executive session. This, after refusing to hear public comment on the transfer.

Board members said personnel matters would only be discussed in executive session, but the crowd was having none of it.

After board members left, Nelligan took the microphone and the crowd conducted its own meeting.

Board members were not available for comment because they went into executive session.

There's no telling what impact if any the gathering will have on the Board's decision. But those who attended Tuesday night's meeting said at least their voices were heard.

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Posted at: 07/02/2008 05:43:04 PM

Updated at: 07/03/2008 10:51:05 AM

By: Subrina Dhammi

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Teacher says politics are behind transfer  
  
GUILDERLAND - It's all politics. That's what Matt Nelligan says. He's one of two teachers being transferred from Guilderland High School to the middle school.

This teacher believes this is punishment for two reasons -- he's an outspoken conservative and he has publicly criticized the district and the teachers union.

"I have been treated very badly because of those views," Nelligan said.

Wearing a gold cross around his neck and a shirt supporting presidential candidate John McCain Nelligan, took his case to talk radio this morning.

"What have I ever done? Where is this secret report that you've compiled on me?" he said while appearing on WGY-AM.

Nelligan and Anne Marie McManus are both social studies teachers at Guilderland High School. Now they're being moved over to the middle school.

Nelligan believes this has stemmed from an allegation that he made anti-gay remarks and sexually harassed an individual this school year.

"The district, I can almost see them rubbing their hands together in glee, when they got an accusation and said 'Ah, conservatives, of course they're intolerant. Let's now use this,'" he told NewsChannel 13.

It snowballed. All of the social studies teachers at Guilderland High were handed a survey and forced to answer if they've ever heard or seen anything inappropriate.

The district did an internal investigation and Nelligan says the allegations were unfounded. He denies ever making an anti-gay remark.

Another layer to this, Nelligan and McManus have been known to be outspoken against the district and teachers union.

An article from the Altamont Enterprise this past April is an example. Nelligan and McManus' names appear at the bottom.

"Ten members signed a letter criticizing the school board for accepting union donations," Nelligan explained.

Guilderland Town Board Member Mark Grimm says this is an outrage.

"I tell Guilderland teachers, if they can get McManus and Nelligan, they can get you," Grimm said.

NewsChannel 13 tried repeatedly to contact the district superintendent and the president of the teachers union during the day Wednesday.  They both called the newsroom late in the day.

The superintendent says this has nothing to do with anyone's political beliefs.  He says there was an environment in the high school that did not include respect and tolerance.  So he wanted to move some teachers around to change things up.

The union president says both teachers have filed a grievance and the union will represent them.  He also points out that he just became the union president two days ago.

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GUILDERLAND
Teacher transfer decision remains unchanged, for now
BOE to review decision again next week
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    More than a hundred people showed up at the Guilderland Board of Education meeting on Monday to oppose the transfer of two high school social studies teachers to the middle school.
    Superintendent John McGuire planned to reassign Matt Nelligan and Ann-Marie McManus on the basis of a “climate study” done by an outside consultant that the high school social studies department had a “culture of intolerance.” Both were informed of the decision on the last day of the school year.
    Nelligan blames the transfer on his views as an outspoken conservative who has been highly critical of the local teachers union. He said McManus was dragged into the situation.
    The public did not get their chance to speak because the Board of Education voted to go into executive session immediately after opening the meeting at 6:05 p.m. and saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
    “Shame. Shame. Shame,” shouted Elijah Sharma, a 17-year-old senior who has been a vocal critic of the proposed transfer.
    Others shouted, “you’re an embarrassment to the community” and “reverse or resign” to the board.
    The board then exited the room. After nearly 3 1 /2 hours in executive session, the board reconvened and voted to make public the climate study report with portions redacted to protect privacy.
    President Richard Weisz said the board will meet again on Monday at 8 a.m. at the high school to discuss whether the proposed personnel transfers and restructuring of the social studies department rise to the level of a policy issue in which the board should act. There will not be public comment at this meeting.
    Because they could not speak to the board, much of the crowd stayed while the board was behind closed doors and offered comments to the media.
    Brian Hill, a graduate of the Class of 2005, said he took Nelligan’s public policy class and learned that people should ask questions when they believe they are not getting all the facts.
    “It seems to me that the school board — instead of transferring him — should be taking his class,” he said.
    Former school board member Peter Golden said he believes the situation arose from conflicts the teachers have been having with local union leadership. Nelligan was one of the signers of a letter teachers had written to a local newspaper criticizing a decision not to fill the vacant social studies supervisor position.
    Nelligan and McManus showed up at about 7:15 p.m. to a standing ovation and wild applause and cheering. Nelligan proceeded to read a passage from the Declaration from the Independence stating that “all men are created equal” and are entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
    “Nobody’s rights can be trampled on because those in power don’t like what they have to say,” he said.
    He said this “climate of intolerance” study grew out of unsubstantiated accusations of sexual harassment by teachers.
    McManus said she wanted to teach in Guilderland because she knew it was a special community and that this outpouring of support proves it.
    “I don’t want to leave the high school because I feel connected,” she said, adding that she also serves as adviser to the Class of 2010 and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
    McManus said she was on maternity leave when the climate study was conducted, so she does not know how she could be contributing to the climate. She added that the transfer does not make sense since the social studies department has some of the highest Regents scores in the state.
    Neither she nor Nelligan has experience teaching at the middle school level.

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Middle schools aren't dumping grounds
First published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008

As a certified middle school teacher, I found the July 1 article on the Guilderland high school teachers ("Teachers' reassignment controversial") exceedingly disturbing. Middle schools are not prisons, and should not be viewed as a punishment, especially by district administration.
Supportive schools with nurturing environments are needed by students of all ages. To view a middle school as a sort of dumping ground is insulting.

     
I also find it disturbing that a homophobic comment allegedly uttered by one of the teachers (who was later exonerated of doing so) might have helped lead to the reassignment. The recent murder of Lawrence King in Oxnard, Calif., took place in a junior high. Bullying and violence statistics based on gender and sexuality in middle schools have been tallied all over the nation. The logic of Guilderland officials seems backward, to me.

If I were a parent of a Guilderland student, I would take a long, hard look at the district. It is clear that something is not right in that quarter.

TRE LUNA
Albany

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I think these teachers are absolutely WRONG in this instance. What the hell do they think they are going? There job is to teach!!! Their job is not to voice their political, religious or employment opinions to these kids. Yes, let us remember that the are still just KIDS that they teach.

I do not side with the teachers at all. They are fortunate to be in a job with a union that protects them from being suspended or fired for not following the guidelines of the school. It's not like they are loosing their jobs for goodness sake. Just teach the subject you are paid to teach and leave your opinions at the door. I would be a pi**ed parent in this case.

Freedom of speech is not what this is about. It is clearly about following the scholastic guidelines set in place by NYS. It is the state's ciriculum that must be followed. That is ALL they should have to do!!

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District should welcome teachers' criticisms
First published: Saturday, July 12, 2008

I believe the July 1 article, "Teachers' reassignment controversial," underlines the dubious nature of the transfer of two teachers in Guilderland. The record of the teachers and their department is without question. How can the district stand for quality teachers unjustly taken from the school and students that they serve so well?
     
Simply put, Matt Nelligan is one of the most decent and honest men I have ever had the pleasure to know. His integrity is without question. As an educator and community leader, he performs with distinction and an intensity that benefits anything with which he is involved.

This whole ordeal is a lesson in free speech, ethics, civics and democracy. Diversity is a two-way street and Mr. Nelligan has always been willing to see and discuss others viewpoints. Mr. Nelligan's opinions and criticisms of the district's labor practices should be welcomed and respected rather than used as the foundation for a witch-hunt.

DAN DENNEHY
Ancient Order of Hibernians
NY State Chairman of Immigration
Cortlandt Manor

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Guilderland board set to weigh teacher inquiry
Members expected to decide whether they'll intervene after report that led to reassignments is released today

By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
First published: Monday, July 14, 2008

GUILDERLAND -- It's called a "culture climate inquiry."
But depending on whom you ask, it's either an evaluation of an academic department or an Orwellian term for punishment without trial.

     
In its wake in Guilderland, two popular high school social studies teachers were transferred to Farnsworth Middle School. Their involuntary reassignment has galvanized the community. Hundreds of students and alumni have joined Facebook Internet groups to protest and have packed school board meetings in support of the teachers.

An edited version of the inquiry is expected to be released this morning at a school board meeting. Board members are among the few who have viewed the report on the inquiry and will vote on whether to intervene in Superintendent John McGuire's decision to transfer Ann-Marie McManus and Matt Nelligan.

For Board President Richard Weisz, culture climate inquiry is "a term used in our industry to determine if the actual behavior within an employee group complies with our standards."

For McManus and Nelligan, who have yet to see the report, it is a secretive document used to harm their careers. They've even characterized the document as one better suited to a Communist regime or a witch hunt.

The inquiry concluded that their department has a "locker room" atmosphere that resulted in its "dysfunction," according to documents obtained by the Times Union. That has some teachers and parents scratching their heads because the department has regularly posted some of the highest Regents scores in the Capital Region.

Carl Korn, spokesman for the New York State United Teachers, said experts at union headquarters could only recall a half-dozen such inquiries over the last few decades.

"These kinds of studies are exceedingly rare," Korn said.

Michele Paludi of Human Resource Management Solutions conducted the inquiry for the district. When reached by phone, she declined to discuss what exactly an inquiry is or how often one occurs. "I will not address any of these issues," she said.

Teachers who participated in the one at Guilderland said Paludi informed them at the start of their private meetings with her in January that it was unusual to conduct an inquiry in the absence of a specific complaint.

In interviews that lasted about five minutes, she asked each of the faculty members four questions about their experiences with discrimination, threats or intimidation in the department, according to several department members.

After the first round of interviews, the teachers were sent a letter indicating that there would be additional interviews. The majority of the teachers said they would not participate in further questioning. Paludi, who was paid $5,000 for her work, was then directed to investigate a specific claim of sexual harassment against Nelligan, in which he allegedly referred to a gay staff member as a "fairy," documents show.

Although Paludi's probe exonerated Nelligan of that charge, the superintendent wrote him a letter that stated "such a conclusion does not mean that the behavior did not occur, but rather that the evidence is equally conclusive both ways," according to the documents.
The culture climate inquiry recommended sensitivity training -- which was given to all high school teachers at the end of the school year -- not the disciplinary measures imposed by McGuire's administration.
The superintendent said the inquiry "put the district on notice" that it had a problem and the department needed a fresh start.

As to the inquiry, he said, "This is a well-established format in the industry." Waldman can be reached at 454-5080 or by e-mail at swaldman@timesunion.com.

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.....investigate a specific claim of sexual harassment against Nelligan, in which he allegedly referred to a gay staff member as a "fairy," documents show.

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Guilderland board backs transfer of teachers
Monday, July 14, 2008
By Jill Bryce (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

GUILDERLAND — The decision to transfer two popular Guilderland High School teachers to Farnsworth Middle School will stand.

The Guilderland Central School District Board of Education met this morning, but did not reverse Superintendent John McGuire's decision to reassign Ann-Marie McManus and Matt Nelligan. A motion to reverse the decision was defeated 7-2 , said board president Richard Weisz.

McGuire said a review of the social studies department showed it had a compromised work environment, and the two teachers were transferred to "reconfigure the high school social studies department" and give it a fresh start.

McManus and Nelligan said a "climate study" performed by an outside consultant was designed as cover to "retaliate against two teachers with excellent credentials."

The transfer caused a wave of opposition in the community, with more than 100 people turning out for a meeting last week to show support for the teachers.

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How not to deal with impolitic teachers

    To an outside observer, it’s not hard to imagine that, more than anything else, internal politics motivated the unexpected, involuntary transfers of two Guilderland High School teachers to Farnsworth Middle School, announced by Superintendent John McGuire late last month and upheld by the school board yesterday.
    Unfortunately, school administrators and boards of education can’t comment publicly on “personnel” matters, so one can only guess at the real reasons they felt these longtime social studies teachers, whose students habitually performed well on state Regents tests, had to be moved. But one thing is fairly certain in the cases involving Matt Nelligan and Ann-Marie McManus, and that’s that school officials handled the transfers, and subsequent public outcry, badly.
    Nelligan and McManus have been outspoken critics of what they feel is a cozy relationship between the teachers union and school administrators. Nelligan’s personal politics were also suspect: He is a staunch conservative who made no effort hide his feelings. Such things, especially in a liberal teaching environment, can get a worker in trouble with his or her colleagues, and when administrators decided to launch a formal “culture climate” inquiry into the two teachers, it was not surprising that there were a fair number of detractors. So off to middle school the teachers were banished.
    Transfers of this or any other sort, frankly, are a school administrator’s prerogative, but a superintendent and/or school board that supports them without much explanation has to expect — and accept — a fair amount of public criticism. This is where things went awry in Guilderland. Earlier this month, hundreds of angry parents and students stormed a board meeting in an effort to express their dissent but they weren’t allowed to: The school board president reportedly cut off people’s attempts to speak and adjourned into executive session.
    The board may have had a legal right to do so, but its action only infuriated the crowd further. It also played right into deposed teacher Nelligan’s hands: He grabbed a microphone and delivered a lecture. It was great theater on the 11 o’clock news, but a no-win situation for the school board.
    Officials may have had cause for wanting to banish Nelligan and McManus, and they may not have been able to discuss it, but they still shouldn’t have turned tail and run when the teachers’ supporters demanded to be heard.

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Guilderland school board should dump its superintendent

    Re July 8 article, “Teacher transfer decision remains unchanged, for now”: The actions of Superintendent John Mc-Guire and the [school board’s] response to the public outcry are so outrageous as to defy belief.
    Our country was founded on principles that citizens have a right to express their opinion; a right that was won with bloody battles. To walk out of a meeting at which citizens wished to speak, to cut off communication with those of us at home who were interested, is a threat to all we believe in and cherish.
    Supt. McGuire has a recent questionable record, which indicates to me that he isn’t fit for his job, using intimidation and harassment to gain his own personal ends. If [board members] support such behavior, I consider them no better.
    [They] were elected to be advocates for the children of Guilderland; [they] must fulfill this obligation by removing this impediment to the quality education that we citizens have come to expect. Everyone who is aware of the abilities and caliber of the two teachers who were removed from their areas of expertise knows that Mr. McGuire’s decision is not what is best for the students. Mr. McGuire is not fit for his job.
    Incidentally, in 25 years of public service in the county Legislature, the town board and four years as town supervisor, no elected body on which I served ever turned their backs on the audience and walked out.
    ANNE TUCKER ROSE
    Guilderland     

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The actions of Superintendent John Mc-Guire and the [school board’s] response to the public outcry are so outrageous as to defy belief.

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Guilderland residents teaching wrong lesson
First published: Sunday, July 20, 2008

Before the recent school board vote upholding the transfer of two teachers, it seemed the only thing that the uproar in Guilderland was teaching kids was that if you work in a school district, you can make your own rules. It is no wonder that there are so few qualified superintendents left in New York. Why should anyone put up with this theater of the absurd?
Superintendents don't make decisions in a vacuum. The school board finalizes these decisions and cannot be too weak to take the pressure from the community. Otherwise, this is exactly why doing the right thing for kids is so impossible. No one wants to be at the helm when every decision is treated as a crises.

     
If teaching were a true vocation for these teachers, they wouldn't be saying that they're going to sue. Really, what grounds will they sue on? We don't like our new assignment? Get a grip, folks, this is the real world, nobody gets to say exactly how they will work and where they will do that work.

The whole thing is a black mark on the community. Considering the issues that most school districts have, it is ridiculous to see community members with their kids protesting an administrative decision. Maybe the whole community would like to be advised every time the administration makes a decision; that way they don't have to wait to do their second-guessing.

Unless you've run a school district, I'd say you have no business involving yourself in a district's internal policies.

Guilderland has a superintendent who is obviously willing to make tough decisions. Would you prefer someone less willing to make hard choices for the good of your schools? Numerous districts in the area are paying top dollar for interim superintendents because they can't find someone to take the job permanently.

So count your blessings and stop acting like kids who dropped their ice cream. You want responsible leadership? This is it. Clam up and learn to live like the rest of the world.

LAURA TAYLOR North Greenbush

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Guilderland High School principal on administrative leave

By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

GUILDERLAND -- Guilderland High School principal Michael Paolino has been put on administrative leave at the same time that teachers allege he made racist and homophobic comments about staff members.
     
School board member Colleen O'Connell said Wednesday that Paolino was on paid leave because of an investigation. She declined further comment.

School officials and Paolino did not return calls seeking comment.

The Times Union could not confirm whether the investigation was related to the teachers' complaints.

Paolino has been principal since October and earns an annual salary of $110,000. He previously worked in the Voorheesville school district as an administrator and business teacher.

According to the teacher accusations, Paolino allegedly told a staff member he would send two African-American students ``back to Albany'' after he watched them playing around in the school's foyer.

Additionally, teachers claim, Paolino told a group of white staff members that they were ``the wrong color'' to date a female administrator in another school district.

During an end-of-year staff breakfast, Paolino jokingly said ``don't drop the soap'' in reference to a group of teachers performing a song as a barbershop quartet, according to multiple teachers who attended the event. He later apologized for his comments, which some construed as homophobic.

That alleged incident occurred on the same day Paolino notified social studies teachers Matt Nelligan and Ann-Marie McManus that they would be involuntarily transferred to Farnsworth Middle School.