Goshen speakers urge board to reverse CJ Middle School reassignment, cite leadership and due-process concerns

At the Goshen Central School District Board of Education meeting on April 7, dozens of teachers, parents and staff used the public-comment period to urge the board to reverse the recent reassignment of the CJ Middle School building leader and to improve the district's handling and communication of disciplinary proceedings.

Paul Benz, a 27-year teacher who said he purchased a home in the district 26 years ago, told the board he has delivered a letter signed by “almost all the veteran teachers of CJ” and asked members to "recognize the mistake that has taken place in moving this administrator" and to "move her back to her rightful position as the CJ building leader." Benz said he would provide the board a copy of the letter without signatures because staff feared retaliation.

Amy Abate, an eighth-grade English teacher at CJ Middle School, said the leadership disruption has been "distressing and concerning to our school community," and warned that intermittent leadership can have "long term negative effects," particularly given what she described as a culture of "cancel culture" that makes recovery difficult.

Multiple speakers — including Josh Doernfest (a teacher at Cedar Hick Middle School), June Koch (a teacher aide at Goshen Middle School), Karen Hughes (a longtime middle‑school teacher) and parent Doreen Garde — described the reassigned administrator as accessible, student‑focused and integral to school culture. Garde said parents first learned about the reassignment through social media and ParentSquare rather than direct district email, and she criticized what she called a delay of more than a week before parents received formal notice.

Several commenters stressed the toll that sudden administrative changes can take on students and staff. Garde told the board the reassigned leader "makes themselves available to parents, to the community, to the students" and said the building now feels "empty, cold, and lifeless without the leadership that has been taken away from us." June Koch, a 19‑year district employee, said the reassignment removed a leader who had "fostered a positive environment" and who helped families trust the district.

Speaker Alana Masker framed the issue in terms of process and taxpayer cost. Masker described "rubber rooming," a practice she said allows an administrator to be placed on administrative reassignment and remain sidelined for months while investigations proceed. She warned these proceedings can be costly and encouraged the board to use its authority to demand transparency and to limit prolonged reassignments.

Doreen Garde also gave figures for recent leadership turnover, saying the high school had seen 14 principals or vice principals; the middle school six; GIS five; and SAS five, and asking the board to ensure thorough, fair investigations.

Board President Loftus opened the public‑comment session with a reminder about the district's rules for privilege of the floor and said speakers should avoid naming students or staff by name in public comments. No formal board action to reinstate or reassign the administrator was taken during the meeting; the board later moved to executive session on financial and personnel matters.

Why this matters: Teachers and families said the reassignment affected school climate and trust. Commenters asked the board to weigh both due process for personnel and clearer, faster communications to families when administrative changes occur.

The board did not take a public vote reversing the reassignment at the meeting. Several speakers said they plan to follow up in writing and urged the board to prioritize a transparent and timely process for personnel investigations.