Mineola’s school board extended the suspension of Superintendent Michael Nagler at its public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22, until its next meeting on Feb. 5.
Board members and parents said they want the community to move forward. Board statements urge community members to remain respectful during public comment, while members of the public said the board should accept their feedback.
The superintendent was suspended Jan. 8 with pay after an investigation into his conduct involving the controversial Build Your Own Grade program found he had violated the terms of his contract and the district’s board of ethics.
At a previous meeting, the board appointed Catherine Fishman, former deputy superintendent, to the acting superintendent role, a position that was extended through Feb. 5 meeting.
“The strength of this district lies in the shared commitment of our teachers, administrators, parents and community members who do what’s right for kids,” Fishman said. “Educators are professionals, but they are human beings first. Combative comments, accusations, and criticisms are hurtful and disruptive. They deserve trust, respect, and stability to do their work.”
Build Your Own Grade was a digital learning platform that tasked eighth-grade students with online learning. Many students found the platform overly stressful and complicated, prompting public outcry and a petition to remove it. The program was retracted after about one month in use.
The platform was developed using the learning management system Quave LLC, which, according to the investigation, was owned by Nagler and his 19-year-old son, James. The investgation found Nagler did not disclose his personal or monetary interest in Quave, which he said he founded to maintain James’s ownership of the intellectual property and to claim the money he spent on the LLC as business expenses on his taxes.
Nagler was not present at the meeting, which was also livestreamed.
Steven Brenner, president of the Association of Mineola School Administrators, declined to provide comment at the meeting.
Board President Cheryl Lampasona said the school board has acted with transparency throughout the Build Your Own Grade situation, and that trustees and district administration have always acted with student interest in mind. She said narratives suggesting corruption in the district do not reflect the facts and that the board is resolute in addressing the circumstances surrounding Nagler and moving forward.
“We want to address the conduct and purpose of the Board of Education meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to conduct district business. They are not platforms for personal attacks, but they should be meaningful meetings, treated with respect,” said Lampasona. ”Our focus remains where it always was, on our students, on our schools, and the long-term health of the Mineola School District.”
“It might be good to welcome feedback, instead of trying to push back and make it sound like the feedback is not wanted, because that’s the impression that I got sitting there just now,” parent Bob Citro said. “I know I’ve spoken at every meeting so far, and I don’t feel like I’ve ever been anything except respectful to everybody sitting at that table.
“I’ve asked some hard questions at times…but that’s constructive, that’s how we grow, and how we change things for the better. So I would only say that it might be better to try to build some bridges with the people sitting in the room, maybe not trying to push them off,” he said. “I get frustrated when I hear what sounds like you trying to say that we, the parents in the rooms, are the ones causing the problems.”
Lampasona said she did not intend for her statement to offend.
“I think you’re hearing it through a lens,” she said. “I will apologize that you did take offense to it, but I think that was the wrong lens to look at it. I appreciate the feedback, we all appreciate the feedback, and we are moving forward as a district.
She said that community participation in meetings is appreciated and that the Build Your Own Grade program was rooted in research.
Other parents urged the board to welcome more community input on decisions, including budget development. The board has begun its budget planning process, which will culminate in a May 19 public vote of adoption. Two school board seats will also be up for election on the same day.
