School board votes dismisses McKinley affair, elects new officers, has a party	by Buck Quigley

Let Them Eat Cake

Buffalo’s school board held a special meeting at 3:30pm on Tuesday, July 1, called by board member Catherine Nugent Panepinto to “vote on pursuing disciplinary action against the individuals named in the report of attorney David Edmunds and/or as discussed by attorney Karl Kristoff.”

After the Pledge of Allegiance, board president Mary Ruth Kapsiak began the meeting by moving to enter into executive section, which was immediately seconded by Catherine Collins, who said that she, for one, intended to mention people’s names—therefore making an executive session mandatory. After five minutes of typical chaos, members of the press were again sent into the antechamber that has become their second home since issues involving principal Crystal Barton and McKinley High School have become public knowledge. Nugent Panepinto never even got to read her motion.

After half an hour, the door opened and Buffalo Public Schools lawyer Karl Kristoff read a motion to share all the raw data collected by the $25,000 Edmunds report with school board members—something they’ve never had access to thus far—before deciding if any disciplinary action might be warranted.

Here’s how the vote went down: Four voted in favor (Nugent Panepinto, Ralph Hernandez, Lou Petrucci, and Chris Jacobs). Pamela Perry-Cahill said she would like to “sustain.” Her colleagues corrected her use of terminology and asked if she would like to “abstain.” She said yes, she would like to do that, and she was joined in her abstention by Collins. Kapsiak and Florence Johnson voted against seeing any more evidence.

Vivian Evans, although present in another room, would not take part in the vote.

Thus, with only four votes in favor of examining all the evidence generated by the $25,000 in taxpayer funds that were used to compensate Edmunds, the motion did not receive the five votes it would have needed to pass. Chief of Staff James M. Kane quickly observed: “It doesn’t pass!” He sounded like a dealer at a poker tournament, interpreting all the hands for the spectators.

Next, it was time for the board to vote on new officers. Evans entered to take part in this vote. Again, the room stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Kapsiak retained her position as board president, Collins replaced Hernandez as vice president of executive affairs, and Jacobs replaced Nugent Panepinto as vice president of student affairs.

In a stunning and unpredictable coincidence, each vote was identical, with Perry-Cahill, Collins, Johnson, Kapsiak, Jacobs, and Evans voting for the winners—while Nugent Panepinto, Petrucci, and Hernandez voted for the losers. Kapsiak, Collins, and Jacobs were sworn in to their new positions and the meeting was called to a close.

Florence Johnson was the first to move in on the cake. She and Perry-Cahill moved in for a slice after sharing hugs with Collins, Jacobs, and Kapsiak.

Though it was a big cake, Nugent Panepinto, Petrucci, and Hernandez didn’t have any.

—buck quigley