The Newburgh School Board's dysfunction has apparently reached a new level, making students and alumni angry, especially after what happened at this week's five-hour board meeting.

Two warring factions on the board who have fought over numerous issues have taken up a new months-long fight over how, when and where to hold a meeting with student leaders.

At Tuesday evening's meeting, board member Letitia Politi accused her colleague Victoria Bousche of planning to go to Newburgh Free Academy to drum up votes from voting age students for her May reelection bid.

Bousche had planned twice to meet with the students, but canceled both times.

It is the latest spat between Politi's five-member minority and Bousche's four-member majority, and is largely to blame for delays and cancellations of a meeting with students.

Student leaders have been asking for a meeting since February to discuss recent actions by the administration, including a consolidation of staff at the district's main office.

The board eventually voted to send two more board members to the meeting, yet did not schedule a meeting.

"You and your mother cyberbully full time," Politi said of Bousche. "Is this someone you want mentoring your children?"

"Where does it mention mentoring?," Bousche responded.

"Excuse me," Politi said. "I'm speaking."

Bousche came back: "You've spoken enough."

"[It] just highlights the dysfunction and unwillingness of this board majority to work with all of the board members for the good of the students," said NFA student Riley Maida of the board's inability to approve a standard meeting.

Bousche pointed out that other board members did not initially volunteer to meet with the students.

"I encourage the other board members to come," Bousche said. "This isn't a campaign stunt. I genuinely want to know what the issues are in the schools."

Alumni and parents told News 12 Wednesday they have noticed the tension.

"It's kind of a negative message to students," said NFA graduate and SUNY-Orange student Nate Johnson, "because it kind of shows there's no structure."

"They have to put their personal issue to the side," Sylvia Rawlison, a teacher in training whose two daughters attend NFA, "because from the outside looking in, it doesn't look right."

The two sides have especially been at odds since January when the majority voted to suspend Superintendent Jackielyn Manning-Campbell and commission an audit of the district's books after learning of financial irregularities.

Since then the majority and minority have clashed on many other votes, including some that might seem minor to some observers.

The minority adamantly opposed a measure to pay overtime to teachers who work late because of emergencies and/or lockdowns.

Politi said over the phone Wednesday she opposed the measure because of the it was "politically motivated" and being used to "buy the votes of a large voting block."

Administrators said Tuesday evening such overtime pay had already been added to other unions' work agreements over, and that situations requiring it are rare.

The board eventually voted to send two more board members to meet with the students, but took no further action.

After more debate among the board members and votes to finalize plans for a meeting with students, the actual meeting may still not happen for more than a month.

Politi and Bousche ended the discussion with a familiar tone of animosity.

"Not one time did you take your eye off that screen and look and them and listen to what they had to say," Politi told Bousche after the testimony of several students.

Bousche paused, and then responded.

"Is that meant to be harmful or helpful?," she said.