"The bickering must stop." Newburgh Schools acting superintendent wants to change culture, address literacy crisis
"We need to do better, and underneath my watch, that's what I plan to do," Dr. Lisa Buon said over the phone Thursday. "I'm going to do better. I'm going to be the example."
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The new acting superintendent of Newburgh Schools — who was just hired in the midst of turmoil in the district — shared with News 12 plans to change the district's priorities, change some attitudes and address a literacy crisis.
"I think the division on the [school] board and in the community is concerning," said Dr. Lisa Buon, a couple days after a contentious five-hour meeting, during which the school board voted 5 to 4 to appoint her.
The divided board previously voted 5 to 4 to commission a forensic audit of the district, due to recently discovered budget irregularities, and to suspend and investigate Superintendent Jackielyn Manning-Campbell.
The exact reason for the investigation is unclear, though the decision came soon after board members were informed of discrepancies in the district's 2024-2025 budget.
The four-member minority has been aggressively sticking up for Manning-Campbell, hounding the five-member majority for specific reasons for the investigation.
Buon has also been at the center of controversy in the district before.
In 2019, when she was a principal at South Middle School, the district forced her to switch schools.
A coalition of parents and teachers publicly opposed the decision to transfer Buon, and Buon filed a civil lawsuit claiming discrimination.
Buon said Thursday the lawsuit has been resolved and she is moving forward.
"We need to do better, and underneath my watch, that's what I plan to do," she said over the phone Thursday. "I'm going to do better. I'm going to be the example."
She wants the board's focus to return to student safety and education, more specifically, literacy.
Reading assessments from 2024 showed 80% of grade school students in the district cannot read at grade level.
Buon, a reading specialist, said solving the literacy crisis is among her top priorities.
"My first masters [degree] is in remedial and developmental reading," she said. "It's important to me that every single child in this district reads on or above grade level."
News 12 spoke this week with several students, parents and alumni who said they have noticed that school board members have not recently said much about children they serve.
"There should be a balance," said Charles Bruner, a Newburgh Free Academy graduate, whose nieces are now students in the district. "I think more children should have more of a voice."
Buon said she wants to be that voice, and hopes to bring feuding board members together in the process.
"It is my hope that moving forward, we be laser-focused on the children of the district," she said. "That, in and of itself, should be unifying."
Buon officially begins her job as acting superintendent on Feb. 11.
The district's deputy superintendent is filling in until then.
