By Anthony Rifilato
"Parents feel this is the first step to being disenfranchised," said Eddison Bramble, head of Concerned Parents of Brookside School, after the meeting. Bramble and other parents had appealed to the board for answers, citing higher test scores and parental involvement under McBeth's leadership.
With the board and school administration unable to comment publicly about personnel matters, no clear answers are forthcoming, and parents have vowed to fight on.
Parents have already appealed to local politicians --both Nassau County Legis. Patrick Williams (D-Uniondale) and Assemblywoman Earlene Hooper (D-Roosevelt) spoke on McBeth's behalf at the meeting -- and Bramble said parents are ready to take their case to New York State Education Commissioner Richard Mills.
McBeth herself did not attend the meeting but came afterwards to thank the crowd for their support and said she would seek "restitution" for the board's decision, indicating she was filing a federal discrimination lawsuit.
Race not an issue, say teachers
The controversy has been brewing since mid-June, when McBeth received a letter Superintendent Kathy Weiss informing her of the board's decision to fire her. Parents protested the move at a June 12 school board meeting and held a candlelight vigil on June 24 on McBeth's behalf.
Parents have said that McBeth's firing may be based on personality conflicts with Weiss and certain teachers at the school, and they have accused the board of being indifferent to parents' concerns.
Weiss has repeatedly said she is legally unable to comment on personnel matters. Though most teachers who attended the meeting refused to comment, several Brookside teachers present at the meeting insisted that race is not an issue, as some parents have charged. McBeth is the first African-American to serve as principal at Brookside, where over 90 percent of students are black or Latino.
Sheila Cohen, president of the Baldwin Foundation for Education, said McBeth's dismissal had nothing to do with her color, and everything to do with her performance.
"McBeth didn't do a competent job. She's not interested in the district," said Cohen, adding that McBeth did nothing to address the problems of teachers and attended no district meetings, though Cohen said she couldn't comment on specific problems teachers were concerned with.
Before the board meeting, parents peacefully gathered outside the District Office to discuss the case and strategize for the meeting. Douglas Thomas, a lawyer and Hofstra University professor, had one caveat for parents: McBeth was not the first item on the agenda, and there would be a long wait.
"We're at a loss, but we're hoping it goes our way," said parent Jackie Eradiri, who has two daughters in Brookside, second grader Cheyenne and fifth grader Janelle. "Parents are extremely involved, and I think some people feel threatened by that. I think the superintendent is intimidated."
At 8 p.m., about 150 parents and community members moved inside, filling the seats almost to capacity. The crowd waited as the board waded through more than an hour of administrative items before the controversial issue reawakened them.
Finally, at 10:30 p.m., the newly elected Board President James Scannell said that because emotions surrounding the issue ran so high, parents would be allotted only 15 minutes to speak. He also apologized to the crowd for adjourning the June 12 board meeting before parents had a chance to speak.
"It's difficult to run a meeting when emotions run high," Scannell told the audience from the blue dais. "Our inability to respond doesn't mean you won't be heard."
Though the board has said time and again that they can't discuss details of personnel issues, Scannell used an analogy to describe the situation to parents, and likened McBeth to a good lawyer who may not necessarily fit with a good law firm. He also said that after two years at Brookside, McBeth should move on with her reputation intact. Prior to coming to Baldwin, McBeth was principal at P.S. 157 in the Bronx.
Bramble asked that parents be given more time to plead their case because they were such a large group, but was denied, though Scannell assured him no one would be cut-off.
Our voice ignored, say parents
Bramble was the first to speak and immediately noted the lack of black representation among board members. He accused the board of not being sensitive to the needs of the black community.
"If you look at the board, you see little representation," Bramble told the board, then asked, "Does the board have a racially sensitive makeup?"
Scannell said the board represents the entire community and every member does their best to do so.
The rhetoric heated up over the course of the comment period. At one point, the new board Vice President Bill Edelman touched a nerve with the crowd when he addressed them as "you folks" and argued that the board was not racist but that perhaps parents needed to get more involved. "Maybe it's because you're not participating with the board," he said.
Some parents demanded an apology, and one parent admonished Edelman by saying, "'You folks' is not politically correct."
Also taking up McBeth's cause was Legis. Patrick Williams, who used his time to accuse the board of acting perversely and cowardly against a "beloved and respected sister of the community."
Thomas, the Hofstra professor whose relatives attend Brookside, railed against the board and Weiss. "I think the approach of the board has been patronizing," Thomas said. "You can't ignore parents up in arms. What about what they want? Weiss runs the place like Hitler."
After about 20 minutes of public comment, the board met privately in executive session for about 15 minutes. When the board filed back in and announced the unanimous decision to terminate McBeth, the cadre of parents stood and walked out in disgust as Weiss moved to other, unrelated comments from the audience.
"Obviously our comments don't matter," said Assemblywoman Hooper.
After the meeting, parents gathered on the steps outside the administration building to hear what moves were next.
Hooper said she would fight for parents in Albany and indicated that she would file an appeal of the board's decision with State Education Commissioner Mills.
Parents said they hope to increase black voter turnout at next May's school board elections. "The makeup of the board will change," said David Bumford, who has two children in Brookside, Daniel, 8, and Chelsea, 6. "We need to elect people to consider our interests."
Brookside parents said the controversy has served as a wake-up call. "We've been asleep at the wheel," said Sandra Mahoney, whose son, Justin, 9, attends Brookside. "We felt the board represented us, but now feel they don't understand our community."
