Now is the Time for the Scarsdale Board of Education to Take Charge

(This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 site founder Joanne Wallenstein) This week there’s a moment of calm in the storm engulfing the Scarsdale Schools due to the school vacation and the celebration of Passover and Easter. However, the revelation that the school administration withheld information from the school board about their payroll tax trouble and a $1.3 million tax lien against the district remains top of mind.

After an editorial in the Scarsdale Inquirer calling for the Board of Education to show Scarsdale School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman the door, speculation is rife about what action the Board might take when they return after the April break.

To Board observers, the fact that the Superintendent kept this information from the Board for nine months should come as no surprise. His tenure was marked by secrecy, silencing of opposition and fear. He concealed information from the public, minimized parental involvement in the schools, and hid controversial Board business by enveloping it in the Board’s consent agenda so that there would be no vote and no discussion. He exercised coercion rather than consensus-building. Parents who spoke out or questioned the administration were often afraid that their children would suffer for their parents’ actions.

However at this point, his tactics may have failed him. The cover-up of the IRS issue and his secretive nature might prove to be his undoing. More troubling than the $1.7 million in erroneous payments and penalties is the fact that the administration kept this under wraps for so long.

The superintendent’s contract clearly outlines his obligation to inform the Board of Education about the district’s finances. It says, “The SUPERINTENDENT shall keep the BOARD properly advised of all matters concerning the administration of the DISTRICT that should reasonably be brought to the attention of the BOARD, including, but not limited to, employee discipline, labor relations and finances.”

The contract also required him to give the district twelve months notice of his resignation, another provision he violated in January 2022 when he unexpectedly announced his plans to leave for a new job in Chicago in June, leaving the district without adequate time to search for a new leader.

It says, “The SUPERINTENDENT shall give the BOARD OF EDUCATION notice of resignation twelve (12) months prior to the effective date of resignation. The resignation date shall not fall within the academic school year.”

The news of his resignation came as another big surprise to the Board who had agreed to extend his contract in June 2021, without any input from the community. Looking back, many are questioning whether the superintendent pushed for the contract extension after he realized his job might be imperiled by the tax error. When he resigned in January, no one on the Board challenged him in public about breaking the terms of the contract. Perhaps they saw his resignation as a blessing in disguise.

Dr. Hagerman has broken two provisions of his contract. With this double whammy, the Board can no longer make excuses for inaction. It is their job to exercise oversight to defend our finances, our laws and the public trust. They can’t let this slide. It’s not going away. The superintendent has silenced and co-opted the Board and the community for long enough.

It is time for the Board to do their duty and appoint new leadership.