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Residents speak out on proposed firing of New Suffolk teacher and potential hefty litgation they say could cripple district

Residents raised concerns at a recent New Suffolk board of education meeting about the proposed excessing of a tenured teacher in the district, a move some felt could shut down the school forever.

At a BOE meeting on April 16, new building principal Dr. Chris Gallagher — who was initially believed to be signing on as superintendent after the resignation of Mike Comanda — recommended that, with an eye toward coming in under the New York State-mandated two percent tax cap, an elementary teaching position for grades K to 6 be abolished.

BOE president Tony Dill read the motion to abolish Martha Kennelly’s position.

The board voted unanimously to pass the resolution.

A special meeting will be held at 7 p.m. tonight to give the public a chance to speak out on the proposed$1.099 million 2015/2106 budget before it’s adopted for a public vote. The budget reflects a 1.8 percent tax levy increase.

Kennelly’s current salary is $115,000, after 21 years spent in education with elementary, art, district administrator and special ed certifications.

Kennelly joined New Suffolk in 1998 and later, went on special assignment in July, 2004, working as the director of Mestract, creating professional development programs for more than 20 East End school districts.

Later, Kennelly said in a special meeting that she would like to return to the district if there was an opening in spring 2013. She later sent the district a letter of intent to return on May 20, 2014.

Kennelly asked Gallagher why he had never responded to her request to “sit down and speak” with him. “I then got my letter stating that I’m being excessed,” she said.

Kennelly next told the board that she’d secured legal representation. “I do intend to file an appeal with the Commissioner about the decision made tonight,” she said.

Resident Shannon Simons said that she feels the board’s actions may be putting the district “at risk” and that this is the first time in years that she will be voting “no” on the budget. She and others said they were fearful being slammed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in back salary, along with legal fees, should Kennelly win, would take New Suffolk “on a very dangerous path.” The Mattituck-Cutchogue school district, she said, had just grappled with a similar pricey situation with a teacher who did not even have tenure. “This makes me very nervous,” she said. I don’t want the New Suffolk school to go away” or cripple the district so it would have to be absorbed by a neighboring school. “We have to plan for the eventual fallout.”

Other members of the community said the fear was that any and all fees would be the “burden of the district. This is not a good situation as a taxpayer.” Residents said they were unhappy and said the elderly in the area couldn’t bear the costs. One woman said she believed the board was doing the right thing. Another said she was concerned about property the school district owns.

Neither Gallagher nor Dill responded immediately to a request for comment.

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