School & District Management

Rochester Mayor Fights Janey’s Exit Deal

By Michelle Galley — October 02, 2002 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The mayor of Rochester, N.Y., and six city residents have taken the unusual step of asking the state commissioner of education to overturn the severance deal between the city’s school board and former Superintendent Clifford B. Janey.

Clifford B. Janey

In addition to paying Mr. Janey $260,800, the remainder of the salary he would have earned under his contract, the school board agreed to issue a favorable recommendation letter to any of Mr. Janey’s future employers.

The agreement between Mr. Janey and the board allows only Bolgen Vargas, the board’s immediate past president, to discuss Mr. Janey’s performance during his seven- year tenure in the 39,000-student district.

The board voted to part ways with Mr. Janey in May because of the “toxic environment” the mayor had created in the district, Mr. Vargas said in an interview. Mr. Janey left the post in late August.

“Clifford Janey’s performance was outstanding,” said Mr. Vargas. “This is a very sad time for Rochester.”

While the New York State Education Department receives hundreds of school board appeals a year, Thomas Dunn, a spokesman for the department, said he had never before seen one in which the mayor of a city challenged a severance agreement between a school board and a departing superintendent.

The letter of reference, which is signed by Mr. Vargas on behalf of the seven-member Rochester school board, credits Mr. Janey with improving student test scores, decreasing dropout rates, and consistently presenting balanced budgets to the board.

Mayor William A. Johnson Jr., who did not return phone calls last week, has characterized the reference letter as a lie, according to his lawyer, Richard Dollinger.

“The overall picture that is created by the separation package is inaccurate,” contended Mr. Dollinger, who is also a state senator. Both he and the mayor are Democrats.

Neither Mr. Janey nor his lawyer could be reached for comment last week.

Budget Role Defended

The petitioners are seeking to have the severance money repaid to the district, the reference letter eliminated, and the “gag order” on the board members lifted, according to their Sept. 20 appeal.

Citing a $45 million midyear budget deficit that arose last spring, the appeal claims that Mr. Janey was responsible for mismanaging the district’s budget, which is $497.4 million for 2002-03. The appeal also blames him for the turnover of four budget directors and four chief financial officers in five years.

In addition, it faults Mr. Janey for consistently low student test scores in the district, and it charges that he improperly appointed district employees.

“I think it is important that we keep the truth out there, and we don’t try to rewrite history through a recommendation letter,” said Hans DeBruyn, one of the petitioners and a parent of three grown children who attended the city’s schools.

Although the district’s budget deficit was significant, Mr. Janey was able to remedy the financial problems, said Adam Urbanski, the president of the 3,800-member Rochester Teachers Association, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

Mr. Urbanski attributed the district’s budget woes to the downturn in the economy and the terrorist attacks in September of last year, which led the state to channel funding to New York City for disaster relief.

“Ironically, for all of the blame that is being fixed on Clifford Janey, he managed to avoid gutting the system,” he said.

Mr. Janey was able to close the financial gap, end the school year with $11 million in cash reserves, and propose a balanced budget for the current school year without freezing teachers’ salaries or significant layoffs, the union president noted.

The board has appointed Manuel Rivera, the former chief development officer of Edison Schools Inc. and a previous superintendent in Rochester, as interim superintendent while it searches for a permanent replacement.

Meanwhile, Mr. Janey, a former chairman of the board of directors of the Council of the Great City Schools, has been named as a finalist for Florida’s new K-12 chancellor position.

The New York state commissioner’s decision on the Rochester petition could take three to six months, according to Mr. Dunn of the education department.

That timeline is too long for some people in Rochester.

State Assemblyman David Gantt, a Democrat who represents part of Rochester, has publicly urged the commissioner to rule on the appeal quickly, a request Mr. Urbanski said he supports.

“I believe that we should tone down this acrimony and move on with the business of educating kids and focusing on instruction,” Mr. Urbanski said.

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Data Data: How Schools Respond to Student Hunger Over the Summer
The end of pandemic-era flexibility for schools and community organizations has translated into fewer students receiving free summer meals.
1 min read
Children enjoy lunches provided by the Brownsville Independent School District on June 8, 2016, at the Olivera Park gymnasium in Brownsville, Texas. The local school district provides free lunches to any child under 18 who needs a meal, regardless of their status as a student with the school district.
Children enjoy lunches provided by the Brownsville Independent School District on June 8, 2016, at the Olivera Park gymnasium in Brownsville, Texas. School districts and other organizations can sign up as summer meal sites to continue providing meals to students once school is out of session.
Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald via AP
School & District Management Online Training Program to Boost Number of Principals of Color Expands
A New York City education college is the latest to join an online principal training program for educators of color and equity-minded leaders.
4 min read
Business like setting, with Black man on a laptop in a corporate conference room or office collaborating with a Black woman
E+/Getty
School & District Management How Can You Tell What Students Need to Succeed at School? Ask Them
Some administrators let students drive purchasing decisions, shape dress code policies, and voice their concerns directly.
4 min read
051223 Lead Sym Mark L jb BS
Chris Ferenzi for Education Week
School & District Management Fewer Students Are Getting Free Summer Meals After Pandemic Waivers End
Summer meal programs are expected to serve fewer students following last summer's end of a federal waiver.
5 min read
Kids line up for lunch outside the Michigan City Area Schools' converted school bus at Weatherstone Village on U.S. 20 in Michigan City, Ind., on July 22, 2021. The bus makes four stops every weekday as part of the Summer Food Program.
Kids line up for lunch outside the Michigan City Area Schools' converted school bus at Weatherstone Village on U.S. 20 in Michigan City, Ind., on July 22, 2021. The bus makes four stops every weekday as part of the Summer Food Program. Summer meal programs are expected to serve fewer students this summer after the expiration of a pandemic-era federal waiver.
Jeff Mayes/The News Dispatch via AP