Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Already under fire for its lack of transparency and heavy doses of public criticism, Buffalo School Board president Dr. Kathy Evans-Brown has defended her Board's decision to select Roscoe Henderson III as the new North District representative, despite requests from top leaders to hold off on Monday's vote.
Both State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan had asked Evans-Brown and her fellow School Board members to refrain from filling the vacant North District seat until investigations centering on allegations of sexual and personal harassment of a female district employee by now-former Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga and Central District representative Lewis "Muki" Hawkins was finished.
Evans-Brown says the Board's decision was not "acted in defiance."
"That characterization is simply inaccurate," Evans-Brown wrote in a statement issued late July 21.
Mubenga abruptly resigned on July 13, while Hawkins remains on the Board and has not resigned - even though there are calls for him to do so. Both were named in a legal notice of claims filed on July 16.
Cindi McEachon, on June 24, resigned as the North District representative citing lack of transparency issues and the allegations filed against Mubenga and Hawkins.
Under state education law, the Board had 30 days to replace McEachon or filling the vacancy would fall to Ryan, whose recommended candidate would then need Buffalo Common Council approval.
Evans-Brown noted in her statement that the process to replace McEachon began well before Ryan's July 19 letter to Rosa.
The School Board, on June 30, began asking for possible North District candidates. That process lasted until July 13 when six candidates responded.
All six were interviewed, in a public session, on July 20 - beginning at 9 a.m.
Evans-Brown said she didn't receive Rosa's correspondence until 1 p.m. on July 20.
"After the interview process was already underway," Evans-Brown said.
Three candidates had already been interviewed and talks with a fourth were underway when Rosa's email to Evans-Brown was received.
Evans-Brown said she did talk with Rosa.
"Our discussion included the significant leadership challenges currently confronting the district," Evans-Brown said.
The challenges included issues relating to Mubenga's resignation and allegations filed against him and Hawkins.
The nine-member school board members are each elected to their posts and charged with making decisions that best serve the district's 28,000-plus students and their families.
"At no time did the board act with the intent to disregard or defy the Commissioner of Education," Evans-Brown wrote in her email. "Rather, we acted in good faith, consistent with our legal requirements, our commitment to transparency, and our obligations to ensure that every district is represented by a full complement of elected leadership."
The Board selected retired Buffalo Police investigator Roscoe Henderson III to serve as McEachon's replacement.
Henderson said he will only fill the remaining 2.5 years left on McEachon's term and will not seek re-election.
Henderson will officially be sworn in as North District representative at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
