Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - State Assemblyman Pat Burke has seen and had enough, when it comes to the beleaguered Buffalo School Board of Education.
"They are not serving the children well, plain and simple," Burke said.
Using his amassed Albany clout coupled with his bully pulpit of the chairman of the Assembly Cities Committee, Burke is asking state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa to send in someone, or a team, to oversee the Buffalo School Board that is a awash in controversy and public criticism.
Burke is joining others such as Mayor Sean Ryan and Assemblyman Jon Rivera, who have made the same request to Rosa.
The requests are under review.
"There seems to be this incredible failure of governance," Burke said.
The issues with the school board are well documented.
On top of a projected $60 million deficit and reports of possible school closings, the board is dealing with locational issues centering around the heralded Leonardo DiVinci School.
And, there is last week' sudden resignation of now-former Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga and three days later, Mubenga and Central District board member Muki Hawkins being named in a notice of claim that centers on alleged sexual and personal harassment of a female district employee.
Hawkins remains on the board even though there is a public outcry that he should resign.
Monday, the board named Roscoe Henderson III to replace Cindi McEachon - who resigned last month over transparency issues - as North District representative even though some, including Ryan, asked the board to hold off until the investigation in the charges against Hawkins and Mubenga was complete.
"The culture there is broken," Burke said, "They have too much of an 'us versus them" mentality."
