By Nick Buglione
In a closed meeting Nov. 13, the school board voted 6-1 in favor of the move -- some seven months before it had to vote on the matter. David Kaplan was the lone dissenting vote.
The superintendent's contract stipulates that a year before its expiration, the board must inform him whether or not he'll be rehired. Dillon's contract will expire on June 30, 2005.
But with school board elections, budget development and teacher contract negotiations already on tap for this spring, Dillon asked for the extension early to get it out of the way, and the board acquiesced. The new deal means that Dillon, who makes over $180,000 a year, will remain superintendent until June 30, 2008.
It came down to a matter of, there is so much going down in the spring, said Charles Goldberg, school board president. We wanted to take this out of the arena of all the other events.
The extension came shortly after the board's annual review of the superintendent, which this year was particularly critical of Dillon, according to a district source. Among the criticisms were Dillon's failure to return phone calls, his absence from certain community events and his often disrespectful behavior toward parents, the source said.
Goldberg would not comment on the contents of the review, stating that it was a personnel matter. He did say that there are always issues and concerns expressed in the reviews, and that no one is perfect.
Obviously he's proven to be an effective educational leader, Goldberg said. We're gratified he accepted the board's offer of an addition.
The board announced the extension at its Nov. 25 public meeting, and while many parents in attendance applauded the move, others who have been critical of Dillon remained resentfully silent. I don't really have a problem if they extended his contract or not, said Sue Landini, who has been a member of the W.T. Clarke PTA for the past 8 years. I do not know why it was extended for three years. I think a one-year extension would have been better.
Some PTA parents have grown weary of Dillon, who became the East Meadow superintendent in 1999, complaining that he often treats them with insolence. I don't feel there's a lot of respect for me as a volunteer when it comes to him, Landini said. And that's how a lot of parents feel.
Dillon's unpopularity with some members of the community can be traced back to spring 2002, when he proposed a school budget that cut programs, laid off teachers, increased class sizes and raised taxes. Under that same budget he granted himself a raise, which rubbed taxpayers the wrong way. Dillon said at the time that his salary was far lower than most superintendents in surrounding districts.
That summer, Dillon also moved the administration's offices out of East Meadow High School and into the Salisbury Center, which the school district had been renting out to Nassau BOCES for $500,000 a year. Many parents questioned that decision, saying that the move would cost the financially strapped district much-needed yearly revenue. Dillon countered that the high school needed the offices for classroom space and that the move would actually save the district money.
Meanwhile, last April, the state comptroller released the results of an East Meadow School District audit revealing thousands of misspent dollars in trips and catered food.
To just not have any discussion and to rehire him is so bizarre, said one PTA parent who asked not to be identified. You can ask him a question 10 different times and you'll get a song and dance and no answer.
She claims the board knows that residents dislike Dillon and were hoping he could be replaced once his contract was up. There was no input from anywhere, she said.
Some believe that Dillon, aware of the community's concerns and fearing the school board might consider not extending his contract, asked for an early renewal to force board members into a hasty decision.
He knows he's doing a poor job and he's afraid he might not have the votes on the board, said Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association and one of Dillon's most vocal critics. He's not measuring up as a good superintendent.
Despite the outcry, Dillon said he's looking forward to his years in East Meadow. I am proud to serve as superintendent in a district where the entire community -- from board members to parents and staff -- shares a common vision, Dillon said. I look forward to continuing to work with all of the community's stakeholders as we forge ahead with our plans for continuous improvement in all areas.
Before coming to East Meadow, Dillon served as the superintendent in the Eastport, Abbot and Sugar Loaf school districts. He had also previously been an assistant superintendent, a secondary principal and a classroom teacher.
