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Civil service officials say they were left out of early layoff talks; ask district for patience as reviews continue
Summary
A Mount Vernon civil service administrator told the board civil service was not included in early layoff discussions and that the agency is conducting a review of the district's layoff list; trustees were urged to allow civil service time to complete accuracy checks before final notices are issued.
A representative of the Westchester civil service office told the Mount Vernon board on May 6 that civil service had not been consulted early enough in the district’s layoff planning and that the office must complete its review before individuals are notified.
"Civil service should have been the first and foremost entity to be included in school layoffs. And I do have a handout for all of the board trustees to read and to see that it is written law," Pat Rosamanda, civil service administrator for the City of Mount Vernon, told trustees. Rosamanda said the civil service office first learned of the layoff plan "by accident" via calls from employees and outside individuals and that civil service was sent a list from HR on April 17.
Rosamanda said a joint meeting was held April 24 that included the HR department, CSEA union representatives, Acting Superintendent Dr. Smith and the district's counsel, and that civil service provided written citations from civil service law at that meeting. The administrator said civil service has the list of affected employees and is reviewing it for accuracy; she asked trustees for patience to allow civil service to complete its due diligence.
At the May 6 meeting trustees raised questions about where savings should be sought and whether earlier administrative abolishments had already reduced top‑level positions. Trustees also asked for confirmation that layoffs were being handled according to civil service rules and stressed the importance of avoiding litigation and ensuring seniority rules were honored.
Discussion versus decision: civil service described its review role and asked the board not to release individual layoff lists before civil service completes its checks; the board continued to pass routine HR resolutions at the meeting, but no final layoff notices were announced in public session.
Ending: Civil service told the board the list of employees subject to proposed layoff is in its office for accuracy review, and Rosamanda asked trustees and district administrators to allow the office time to complete its statutory responsibilities before the district issues final notices.
