By Anthony Rifilato
The announcement came just a week after the 2007-08 budget was approved by voters.
The board held a special meeting on May 22, at which it accepted and announced Britto's resignation but provided no details about his abrupt departure, saying that, by law, trustees are not allowed to publicly discuss personnel issues. Britto did not respond to a request for an interview.
"The Board of Education and Dr. Robert Britto wish to announce to the parents, students and staff of the Baldwin Union Free School District that Dr. Britto will be leaving our District this June to permit him to explore other employment options," the board said in a statement. "As you know, Dr. Britto first came to us after a distinguished educational career in both Rhode Island and Connecticut. Dr. Britto has served our school community well over the last two years through a number of educational initiatives such as Supportive Classroom Visits. We will miss Dr. Britto's enthusiasm for learning and we wish him well."
The board appointed Dr. Thomas Caramore - currently the interim assistant superintendent for human resources - as interim superintendent, effective May 25. The board said that Caramore would receive $1,000 per day until June 30, while he serves in both capacities.
Britto leaves a job with an annual salary of $207,000, in which he had a three-year contract. His departure left many questions, but there were hardly any answers from the board. Some, however, said that rumors of his departure had been circulating for some time. "I was hearing rumors for a while that the board had asked for his resignation and he refused," said Joel Peskoff, a Baldwin resident who is chairman of the Baldwin Educational Assembly. "The board only gets to hire and fire one employee, and that's the superintendent. I don't know what the agreement is, but he had a three-year contract. I wouldn't resign if I had a three-year contract. My understanding is that they bought him out - that they had to buy out the contract. I can't say if they had a good reason."
According to the board, an agreement with Britto was signed on May 3. "The agreement was signed May 3 by Dr. Britto, but it was not received by the board until [May 22], and therefore could not be acted upon by law until that time," the board said in a statement.
After the meeting, board Vice President James Scannell was asked if he thought the board was being disingenuous by making the announcement after the budget passed. "Out of fairness to all the parties involved, we have to honor our commitment to the agreement, and we're not able to comment about it," said Scannell.
At the meeting, the board was asked if any funds allocated in the recently approved budget were associated with Britto's departure, and whether the board could discuss the financial implications of his resignation. Residents had, after all, just approved a $105.8 million spending plan.
"At this point in time, we are not prepared to discuss the finances," said Ann Scricca, the district's legal counsel.
The board was also asked if it was actively seeking a replacement, and if any funds were set aside for such an initiative in the new budget. When former Superintendent Dr. Kathy Weiss announced her retirement in 2004, the board set aside $25,000 in an administrative portion of the 2004-05 budget to search for a replacement.
"We have to move forward from this point, and we have not made any decisions at this time," said board President Mary Jo O'Hagan.
In a letter to the Herald, however, the board wrote, "During the 2007-08 school year, a search will be conducted for a permanent Superintendent of Schools for the Baldwin School District."
Scannell said after the meeting that the costs associated with finding a new superintendent could be considerably lower than the funding allocated for Weiss's replacement.
No answers
It remains unclear why Britto resigned. Some speculated that he had a difference of opinion with board members, while others said he was not well liked by many teachers in the district. Neither claim was confirmed by the board or union representatives.
James Brown, the principal of Baldwin Middle School and a representative of the Association of Baldwin Administrators, said he could not comment. "As a building principal, I would not be in a position to assess his performance anyway - that's up to the Board of Education," Brown said.
Others said that Britto was simply not up to the job. "He likes the theoretical parts of the job, not the nuts and bolts," said Tom Riordan, a Baldwin resident. "I think the board had had it with him. The way he has been running things, I haven't been impressed."
Others disagreed, saying that Britto was an excellent superintendent who was well-liked, and brought enthusiasm and new ideas to the district. "He's a pleasure to work with - he's a nice man," said one administrator who asked not to be named.
Britto has more than 30 years of experience as an educator, having begun his career as a teacher in Providence, R.I., and later working as an administrator in Bridgeport, Conn., before coming to Baldwin.
He took over as superintendent in 2005, replacing Weiss. Britto brought a sense of optimism when he came to the district: His first public meeting with parents was entitled "Focus on the Future of Baldwin Schools," and he pledged to find out what was working in the district and what was not.
As superintendent, however, he was quickly forced to address a number of issues that shook the district: A series of bomb threats in the schools, a couple of lockdowns and the recent melee at Baldwin High School. The latter prompted Britto to hold a public meeting with parents, at which he discussed the incident. Some parents said that his response to the melee - the suspension of the students involved - was not enough, and that more needed to be done to punish them. Others said that Britto and high school Principal Sue Knors ran the forum - which was attended by hundreds of residents and students - poorly.
"I was hearing rumors about his resignation long before that," Peskoff said. "There must be policy differences, but the board gets to decide which direction the district should go, and if they feel the superintendent was not fostering that direction, it's certainly in their discretion to change that."
Britto implemented a number of initiatives that he had promised when he came to the district: classroom-level libraries, Empowering Writers and more Academic Intervention Services, among other initiatives.
The New York State Education Department said that the Baldwin School District was in "good standing" for the 2006-07 school year. In the weeks leading up to the budget vote, school board incumbents touted higher test scores and other improvements in the district. Britto also made attempts to engage the community, discussing issues ranging from taxes to gang activity with numerous community groups.
One source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Britto's exit is certainly not ignominious: "He is taking it well, and is leaving with his head held high."
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