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Public comments press board over coach suspensions, superintendent suspension and staff cuts
Summary
Dozens of residents, students and staff addressed the board, urging reinstatement of football coaches, asking for transparency on the suspended superintendent and questioning recent staff reductions and contracts.
A large number of community members, students, parents and district staff used the March 25 public‑comment periods to press the Newburgh Board of Education on the district’s handling of a fall‑season locker‑room incident, the suspension of football coaches, recent personnel notices and the suspension of the superintendent.
Speakers described the impact of the athletic suspensions on students and urged the board to reinstate coaches. Jim Rafferty, a longtime district resident, read a letter from Cadet Lieutenant Tyler Rafferty of the U.S. Military Academy, who wrote that the head coach “consistently goes above and beyond his duties as a coach, treating every player as if they were his own child” and urged the board to reconsider not rehiring the staff; Rafferty read the letter into the record on behalf of his son. Student speakers described coaches’ mentorship and said the pause in activities affected college recruiting and student development. One student, identified in the transcript as Jayshawn Thomas, said a coach once withheld him from returning to play after a serious hit and later supported him financially so he could continue playing at college.
Several residents pressed the board on employment decisions and transparency. Public speakers repeated concerns about notices they described as “pink slips” affecting roughly 17 staff members and asked why the community had not been given specifics before personnel actions. The district’s acting superintendent and board members said personnel decisions are processed through the superintendent’s office and that some items required executive‑session discussion.
Ethics questions arose during public comment and board discussion after attendees said floral gifts were provided to a group of civil‑service employees. Board member Miss Politti asked about the source and value of the gifts; district counsel referred the board to the district’s ethics policy (policy 2160) and New York State General Municipal Law limits (gift limit noted as $75 per individual for the fiscal year in the counsel’s summary).
Speakers also demanded access to details about two recently contracted reviews—a budget consultant and a forensic audit—saying contract amounts and scopes were not available on the district website. Mark Levinstein requested copies of the RFQs, the bids, any requests for additional information, and the contracts; the board said contracts and details would be posted consistent with district procedures.
Why it matters: the public comments illustrate community concern about personnel practices, transparency around audits and contracts, and the immediate effects of disciplinary measures on students’ extracurricular opportunities. Several speakers connected those concerns to student outcomes and district morale.
What the board said: board leadership acknowledged the public’s concerns, said some personnel matters required executive‑session discussion and directed administration to provide updates as appropriate. Board counsel explained the district’s ethics thresholds and the legal limits on gifts. The board later added and adopted a resolution rescinding the football‑coach suspensions, allowing coaches to resume typical duties, and said evaluations previously issued to the coaches would be rescinded and replaced.
