The turmoil surrounding the Buffalo School Board did not end with the superintendent's resignation.
Recently resigned board member Cindi McEachon says the problems run much deeper.
In an interview with WBEN, McEachon described a board plagued by dysfunction and alack of transparency. Those concerns were among the reasons she resigned on June 24, after more than three years representing the North District.
"Having a lot of experience serving on boards, this was a rude awakening when I was first elected to the board with the dysfunction that was happening behind the scenes," she told WBEN.
Her comments come as the district continues to deal with the fallout from Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga's resignation and a sexual harassment notice of claim filed against him and another board member, Muki Hawkins. Those developments have intensified scrutiny of the board's leadership and governance.
Asked if the current board is in a position to find and name a new superintendent, McEachon said unequivocally, "No, I don't believe so."
She added, "This board tends to lead by emotion, rather than logic or facts or data, and that's unfortunate. It is not just the current board. A lot of that behavior was passed through and has plagued the board for a long time. And until they work through some of that, and work together, it's going to be a struggle to go through the process of appointing a new superintendent."
Is state intervention needed?
"I do believe some level of oversight is needed, as we can't seem to get out of our own way. I don't know if having a state monitor is enough, or a more intense level of oversight," added McEachon.
"The dysfunction has plagued the board for a long time"
"The dysfunction has plagued the board for a long time"
