New Newburgh school board majority may reverse policy and staff decisions following election wins
The four-member group will gain two seats after Tuesday's election, making it a six-member majority and giving it the power to reverse past decisions.
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Upcoming changes on the Newburgh School Board could hold up current district leaders' plans to cut administrative staff, and could lead to the reinstatement of the suspended superintendent.
Two new school board members will be soon be sworn in, following their victories in Tuesday's election, significantly shifting power on the board.
For much of the last year, a five-member caucus has outvoted an opposing four-member group on most major decisions involving district finances, investigations, forensic audits and staff changes.
The four-member group will gain two seats after Tuesday's election, making it a six-member majority and giving it the power to reverse past decisions.
The decisions include:
- A 5-4 vote to commission a forensic audit of the district's finances following a preliminary report that showed irregularities
-A 5-4 vote to suspend and investigate Superintendent Jackielyn Manning-Campbell without publicly providing a reason
-A 5-4 vote to appoint elementary school principal Lisa Buon acting superintendent
-Acting Superintendent Lisa Buon's plan to eliminate at least eight front office positions, using the savings to hire teachings aides.
-Buon's plan to overhaul the district's reading instruction program to address poor reading scores
The two new members, Shade Burks and Mark Levinstein, were not immediately available for comment.
The two ran on a slate with incumbent board member John Doerre, who was reelected Tuesday.
Levinstein has previously served on the board.
Incumbents Victoria Bousche and Fred Stewart lost their reelection bids.
Campaign volunteers for Burks and Levinstein told News 12 they will not hesitate to call out the incoming board members if they engage in infighting, name-calling and gossip that have previously delayed or disrupted official business.
The two warring factions' fights have stretched multiple board meetings to last more than five hours and have taken the focus off students, they said.
"They're online doing this bullying," campaign volunteer and city council candidate Tamika Stewart said Wednesday in an interview at the Democratic campaign headquarters on Broadway. "It's just hypocritical and we should stop doing it."
"The focus on our children has been off," volunteer and City Councilman Omari Shakur said. "All this right now, where it's going, is to focus on the education of our children at this moment."
News 12 spoke Wednesday with several parents and alumni, and one former teacher, who said tribalism among board members and administrators has become the standard.
Newburgh Free Academy graduate Leslie Gonzalez, now working as an employment and training specialist for the SUNY system, said egos and arguments seem to currently be affecting Newburgh students similarly to when she was a student.
Gonzalez recalls teachers' consistent cries for more classroom resources.
"My sister's a senior now, and they're still not providing what they were supposed to," Gonzalez said. "I graduated in 2017. My sister's a senior. She's graduating in 2025. That says a lot."
"The only reason why I took this job is to fix reading," Buon, also a literacy specialist, said. "It was a call out of the blue. I said yes because I knew what was going on with the failing reading program. After five years, reading rates actually got worse...We can get this done by June 30."
