The middle-aged man slowly riding his bike along the sidewalk on Elmwood Avenue tells the slim youth playing the violin, “You’re doing some fine work there, young man.” The musician, David Adamczyk, is sitting on a low retaining wall in front of an upscale delicatessen. The bicyclist continues on his way without pausing or leaving any money in the empty glass jar in front of Adamczyk. It doesn’t stay empty for long. Within several minutes, pedestrians have begun dropping coins and bills in the jar, though none of them speak to the performer.

The board and administration of Buffalo Public Schools may have officially decided to forget all the problems at McKinley High School: Principal Crystal Barton’s firing of volunteer womens basketball coach Michelle Stiles; her protection of McKinley basketball mens coach and accused serial seducer James Daye; her heavyhanded suspension of Jayvonna Kincannon, who protested her coach’s dismissal; the subsequent dysfunctions of the school board as it responded to the scandal; the investigation that cost the district $25,000, faulted Barton for refusing to cooperate with the special investigator, and yet yielded no consequences.

As I reported in last week’s issue, Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority secretary George K. Arthur raised questions about a $1.7 million dollar item up for approval by the control board involving ResulTech, the Maryland firm hired by the Buffalo Public Schools to provide “ongoing technical support at Academy School 44.”