By MIKE CAPUTO
A special meeting was held on Sept. 24 to address the charges against Peggy McQuade-Kaplan, a school board member who is in the second year of a three-year term. The charges arose in July when an internal auditor wrote in a memo that McQuade-Kaplan was not in compliance with education laws governing meeting attendance and school board training.
The auditor, Denise Longobardi, stated in the memo that McQuade-Kaplan missed 12 board meetings, completed only two of five state-mandated training workshops and owes the district money for workshop registration fees. If the charges are deemed valid, the school board may remove her from her position.
At a Board of Education public communication meeting on Sept. 18, some residents urged the school board to take action. The special meeting was held a week later to address the charges and to approve an independent counsel to conduct an investigation.
Board President Brian O'Flaherty, who called the special meeting, explained that action is being taken now so the board can get back to business as usual and meet its obligations to the district's students and taxpayers. "People in the community are saying, 'What is going on with you guys?'" O'Flaherty said. "It's kind of like having an albatross on you. We want to get this behind us."
In a vote of 4 to 2, the school board approved the independent counsel, who is expected to present findings by mid-October.
McQuade-Kaplan, who did not attend the special meeting, said she was excused to attend a parent-teacher conference for her child. She has enlisted her own legal representation, and said she is prepared to fight the charges and has no intention of resigning from the board. "I have to fight this," she said. "I can't let the people of the community think that I'm untrustworthy."
In an interview with the Herald, McQuade-Kaplan said she attended only two of the five required training workshops in Albany in July of 2007 because of traffic issues. When she was given a second chance to complete the courses in an October conference in New York City, McQuade-Kaplan said, she could not attend because of a serious illness. She said she is now paying for her own online courses to complete the three remaining workshops.
Because she did not attend the workshops, the internal auditor said that McQuade-Kaplan must reimburse the district for pre-registration fees. According to McQuade-Kaplan, the school district has not given her an itemized bill, and may owe her for various services she performed and paid for herself.
Three or more unexcused absences from board meetings is a violation of state education law. McQuade-Kaplan said that some meetings conflicted with religious observances, while others took place when she had personal commitments and emergencies.
O'Flaherty emphasized that the independent investigation would enable the school board to get a better sense of the situation so it can make the right decision. "If somebody from the outside is looking at us, let's see what happens," he said. "Hopefully we will have a meeting and will decide how to move forward from there."
School board Trustee Diana DeVito said she voted against the independent investigation because McQuade-Kaplan was not provided with enough documentation outlining her debts to the district. "There was no notification other than an informal one," DeVito said. "They couldn't show me something that asked for the restitution and how much money she owed."
Helen Meittinis, a civic and PTA leader, was one of the residents who urged the school board to take action to resolve the situation. "There are rules in place that you must follow," Meittinis said. "Knowing the job is part of the job."
A school board work session was scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Leon J. Campo Salisbury Center, 718 The Plain Road in Salisbury.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
