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SCHOOLS
090202 To the Editor: Re: Robyn Lane
In the dead of summer on July 12, the Bedford School Board, appointed Robyn Lane to a newly ,"Created", undefined position, "Teacher in Charge", at a salary of $97,500 for the West Patent Elementary School.
I filed a petition to State Education commissioner Mills, asking for a stay in Ms. Lane's appointment after noticing that her credentials were absent on the published agenda. Suspicions that the School Board was trying to pull a fast one were validated by a subsequent sworn affidavit.
The facts are these: the District did not advertise and post the staffing vacancy for principal as required by contract. Ms. Lane was referred to as principal on the School's Website and by none other than Superintendent Bruce Dennis in a "Back to School" newspaper letter.
Essentially the Board put someone, uncertified, in a position with no job description but with a Principal's salary to circumvent the law. They deceitfully used the "Consent Agenda," to avoid any public discussion. To thwart any legal repercussions from my petition the Board then cynically made Superintendent Bruce Dennis "Principal" of West Patent last Wednesday. The District now has a part time Superintendent and a part time principal. Will Ms. Lane now give back her $30,000 stipend for the duties the Superintendent will now assume?
The School Board is betting the Education commissioner, the newspapers, and the parents will ignore all this and settle for highly paid but less qualified personnel. Time will tell if they are right.
Joseph P. Giardina