By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Apparently Principal Sandra Horwitz has a fierce fan base at Central Elementary School. A number of parents flocked to last Thursday’s board of education meeting to protest the principal’s reassignment to the middle school.
Members of the BOE approved a reassignment that will see Horwitz become the new assistant principal at the middle school. William Potts, a parent of a child at Central, said transparency was lacking in this administrative move. He said many parents of children at Central School would have appreciated a notice that the move was going to be made.
“I found out about it by looking at the agenda for tonight,” he said. “I don’t know that the parents’ input is being taken into consideration for this move.”
Ira Roseman, also a parent of a child at Central, agreed with Potts. A notice to parents about this move would have been an appropriate action from the BOE, he said.
BOE President Steve Weinstein said it would have been inappropriate to go out and poll the opinion of parents in regard to the move.
“We want to strengthen the overall system. We think this will serve our students the best,” he said of the decision to transfer Horwitz.
The open principal position at Central School will be advertised internally within the district for about two weeks, he said. If an employee of the district applies for the position, it will be decided by the BOE if they are an appropriate fit. If a replacement cannot be found within the district, Weinstein said it would be advertised outside of the district.
In other district news, three student representatives for the BOE were honored for their year of service. Weinstein and Superintendent Richard Perry presented Kathryn Dark, Matt Nussbaum, and Lara Ruggerio were given proclamation for their hard work.
“We had excellent student representatives who gave up their time to participate in this activity,” Weinstein said of the students. “They provide a unique viewpoint for the board.”
