Kimmel Resigns; Norwalk BOE In Trouble
On the surface, the official reason Bruce Kimmel resigned from the BOE was for personal reasons. The late nights, several times a week, were affecting his ability to perform at top level during his day job. Kimmel is a teacher in the New York Public School system. The combination of a 4 AM morning start with meetings dragging on past 11 PM was starting wear thin.
What Kimmel didn’t get into were the specifics of why, suddenly, every meeting was hitting past the 11 PM mark. For that we have to look at how the board dynamics had shifted. Prior to the 2007 election, the BOE had become known, under the leadership of then chair Jodi Bishop-Pullan, for its rubber stamping, no questions asked, unwavering support of Sal Corda. The education budget battle of 2007, brought to light the glaring lack of oversight and guidance provided by the BOE.
The election brought two new members, Jack Chairamonte and Glenn Iannacone to BOE. But it was the retirement of Rick Fuller that brought Shirley Mosbey to the BOE, a pick by District D Democrats. Mosbey quickly established herself as the Corda attack dog and for awhile that served to shake things up, in a positive direction. Stuart Opdahl and Karen Land resigned, and the BOE had an opportunity to encourage new administrative leadership to help steer Norwalk Public Schools into a new direction.
But, according to several sources, the attack dog mantra has gone wild. No longer was Corda being questioned on issues, Corda has been forgotten in place of a mix of personal agendas. Rosa Murray, Jodi Bishop-Pullan, Shirley Mosbey, and Migdalia Rivas have managed to create a climate that is hostile to decision making causing most meetings to drag on and on, with wild accusations and statements being hurled, without resolution to the issues at hand.
The decision to hire Tony Dadonna over Bob McCain as Assistant Superintendent is one example. Corda had recommended McCain, and thus the charge was led by Mosbey to deny McCain the opportunity. Never mind the qualifications, according to sources. Where the Dadonna decision at least had the weight of the importance of the position as a benchmark, other issues, devolve quickly into the obstruction of whatever Corda recommends.
Several board members have said the BOE is not able to do its job. Privately they have expressed concerns that with issues not being dealt with in the meetings that they first appear, the public is being ill served by the constant late nights, and special meetings being called. Then there’s the lack of transparency and accountability issue. Parents who contact the BOE are said to be being ignored, and teachers have reported that getting certain BOE members to listen is futile. Kimmel may not be alone is seeking to leave the BOE.
The challenge now rests with the Democrats who will seek a replacement for Kimmel. Kimmel was the lone BOE member with an educational background and a commitment towards open government and accountability.
Kimmel served the BOE diligently during his term. His focus on opening the budget process to greater transparency and forcing the BOE to adopt committee meetings in order to tackle issues was much needed reform. This past year, the BOE finance committee, and the BET began holding joint meetings to discuss budget and financial issues. These reforms, now could be placed in jeopardy.
