Levy Shows School Board 29 The Door

In a scathing, five-page letter directed to District 29 Board President Leroy Comrie, Levy blasted the board for "inept handling" during the selection process of a new district superintendent and chastised the board "for years of mediocre education results."
One of the primary reasons cited by the chancellor for the suspensions was a recent probe conducted by his Office of Special Investigations, which found irregularities in the superintendent selection process, known as the C-37 process. The suspensions come almost one year after Levys predecessor, Rudy Crew, removed Celestine Miller as District 29 superintendent, after she delayed reporting an incident where an 8-year-old boy brought a loaded gun to a southeast elementary school.
Millers deputy, Michael Cinquemani was then appointed to the position of acting superintendent until a permanent replacement was found. Under state law, the school board, along with a local selection committee can conduct a search, and submit as many as four finalists to the chancellor. Levy then would have the power to choose from the finalists, or ask for a list of new candidates.
However, the Board of Education investigation discovered that the school board, which encompasses Rosedale, Laurelton, and other areas of southeast Queens, had violated state law by not using the same rating system on each contending candidate. Further inquires found that board members had allowed the "dissemination of false and damaging information" about Cinquemani, who was one of the candidates.
On Dec. 30, Crew, recognizing the gradual and ineffective route the search was taking, ordered the C-37 process to start anew. School board members balked at the idea, and eventually a compromise was offered.
"I believe the current C-37 process has suffered irreparable damage to the integrity of the application and evaluation process," Levy said in his letter to Comrie. "Your failure to oversee the C-37 process through to its completion compels me to intervene." Levy listed the search committees offenses, including "inaccurate allegations" that Cinquemani had lied on his resume and submitted it too late to be considered. "Cinquemani was ranked first after the resume evaluation, but last after the derogatory accusations were made," said the chancellor.
Defying the chancellors orders to change its methods, the school board attempted to oust Cinquemani as the districts acting superintendent on Jan. 26. Not so fast, said Levy. The chancellor met with the school board on Feb. 3, but according to the chancellor, they failed to sufficiently explain their actions. For the first time in his tenure, Levy used his power to veto superintendent appointments, a power given in 1996 to chancellors under a state law which drastically limits the power of community school boards.
"Instead of presenting a comprehensive record on inadequacy, you stated only that he had not included your names on a piece of correspondence to parents," said Levy in his letter to Comrie. "In the face of the districts performance, this is petty. You also purported to direct Brenda McClellan, deputy superintendent to assume the operations of the district. Such a de facto unilateral appointment of an acting superintendent was wholly without authority and only confirms my doubts about your ability to comply with law and regulations."
The chancellor also said that he took the action to reverse years of undistinguished student performance within School Board 29. "Your district has regularly achieved only mediocre education results," said Levy. "The districts performance on city and state tests in English and language arts and mathematics has only hovered near the citywide average. However, comparative analysis show that the performance of your districts schools has lagged behind that of other schools serving demographically similar student bodies. There is no acceptable reason for this poor performance, and the children in your district deserve to be brought to a higher level of performance. Achievement has stagnated for many years, and you and your choice of superintendents must be held accountable."
Repeated calls from The Queens Courier to District 29s offices went unanswered.
Levy immediately replaced the nine-member local board with three trustees; Laurelton resident and retired investment banker William Jefferson, the Board of Educations director of the office of zoning Fermin Archer, and Rose Walker, the Queens Borough deputy to the chancellor. Michael Johnson, the current principal of the Science Skills Center, a Brooklyn High School, was named the boards new administrator. Cinquemani was then demoted to his original position as deputy superintendent.
The board will remain suspended at least until the first phase of the new superintendent selection process is completed, but first will have to undergo intensive training sessions.