By Peter Sorkin
The search still is on for a superintendent in School District 24, whose board met last Thursday night to discuss its progress in finding a permanent replacement for Acting Superintendent Joseph Quinn.
Quinn twice has been reinstated by the city's schools chancellor after being voted out by the board on two separate occasions.
The beleaguered school district, which includes Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Elmhurst and Corona, is the most overcrowded in the city, operating at 124 percent of capacity.
Quinn will step down when a board-nominated candidate is approved by Schools Chancellor Harold Levy. Quinn had been the principal of IS 77 in Ridgewood for three years and an assistant principal for more than 10 years before becoming acting superintendent.
At last week's meeting, board member Patricia Grayson, who was one of six board members to have voted to replace Quinn, vehemently objected to Quinn referring to himself as the superintendent during his report. She also asked Secretary Joan Gallagher to record her objection in the minutes of the meeting attended by about 50 people.
Last fall members of the board, citing students' poor test scores and an alleged incident of sexual harassment involving a principal of PS 143 in Corona, voted 5-3 in favor of Quinn's removal. But then-Chancellor Rudy Crew nullified the board's decision to oust Quinn.
On June 15, the board again voted 7-2 to replace Quinn, this time in favor of John Lavelle, the principal of PS 128 in Middle Village. Lavelle was set to take over the job July 1, but two weeks after the vote, Levy, Crew's successor, vetoed the decision and the board begrudgingly named Quinn acting superintendent.
Levy also turned down the board's second choice, PS 12 Principal Ronald Costa.
Last month, the board approved the C-37 screening committee which will nominate candidates to lead the school district. The screening committee will consist of eight parents and five alternates, four county members and two alternates, one council supervisor administrator, one United Federation of Teachers representative, and one school aide.
Reach reporter Peter Sorkin by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 155