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Paying Attention!
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Lack of Outrage on the School Committee As Piscitello Violates Policies...Again
During the mock hearing to fire
Superintendent Mae Gaskins it was revealed by Attorney Long that
a city employee was interrogated by a member of the school
committee in connection to the Gaskins situation. Committee
member Mike Sweeney asked Attorney Long if he had interviewed any
city employees regarding the charges against Gaskins. Long
responded that he had interviewed budget director Judith Marte a
few days earlier. “Who else was present in the room at the
time?” Sweeney asked. “School Committee woman Suzanne
Piscitello” Attorney long answered. “She was
representing the school committee.”
Sweeney asked Ms. Marte if she had the benefit of legal council
during her interrogation. The answer was no. School committee
policy clearly states that no school committee member has any
authority or power as an individual and may only conduct school
department business at the school committee table, or if a member
is appointed by the committee with majority vote of the school
committee to represent them in an official capacity. According to
school committee records, the school committee never voted to
appoint Ms. Piscitello to act on behalf of the committee at any
time. Despite that fact school committee members continue to turn
a blind eye to Piscitellos’ interference of the day to day
operations of the school system. Ironically, the committee
considered censuring Michael Sweeney last year for being involved
in a student’s disciplinary hearing at the South Lawrence
East School. Several members publicly expressed their concern
about board members exceeding heir authority and the legal
troubles that could cause the city. The person driving that
censure was Suzanne Piscitello who said that school committee
members “must be held accountable when they violate the
policies of the board.”
The interference of Piscitello in the day to day operations of
the school department has been common for many years and has been
completely ignored by the rest of the committee. To date,
Piscitello has violated dozens of school committee policies and
state laws in connection with the firing of Mae Gaskins’,
interfered with the day to day operations of the school
department, has admitted violating education reform law by trying
to illegally influence Mae Gaskins to hire consultants who were
friends of hers, (see the daily paper February , 2000) and has
voted on school budgets that pay for trips to Canobie Lake Park,
where she owns and operates concession stands, as well as hiring
another School Board member Carol Bannon in violation of the
State’s conflict of interest laws.
Piscitello is the vice chairman of the School Committee, a former
assistant superintendent under Eugene Thayer, a former teacher at
the A.B. Bruce school and has held numerous positions in the
school department. Her knowledge of education laws and the
policies and procedures of the school department are very
extensive. Taking all this into account, her violation of
policies and laws makes it quite evident that she is willingly
and knowingly putting the city’s money at risk for major
lawsuits, which will not come out of Piscitellos’ pockets
when we lose, but will be paid for with your tax money.
Some in the community are wondering what can possibly be done
about an elected official who willingly and knowingly abuses her
position and puts the tax payers at risk in order to carry out
vendettas and engage in illegal activities. The answer may come
in the form of a recall petition. The city council was presented
with a citizens petition with more than 150 voters calling for a
public hearing into the illegal activities of the school
committee vice chairman. The city charter states that a public
hearing must be held within ten days from the date a petition is
submitted. That hearing must take place on or before March
18,2000.
In the mean time a ‘hit list” has been put together by
Ms. Piscitello whereby she plans on going after the careers of
certain school employees whose only crime is their connection to
either Mae Gaskins or former superintendent James F. Scully.
Piscitellos next target is High school principal Dr. Ron Sealy
who was hired by Gaskins over a year ago. Also on The Piscitello
chopping block are school budget director Judy Marte, Frost
School Principal John Benjamin, and assistant superintendent Dr.
Cabayo.
With her long time friend and former boss Eugene Thayer now
illegally in charge of the school system (in violation of the
agreement we have with the state) Piscitello is setting herself
up to be in a perfect position by the end of her term (which
expires next year) to be the next permanent superintendent of
schools. Piscitello applied for the superintendent’s job in
1987 and was beaten out by James F. Scully who served as
superintendent until 1997. Piscitello played a major role in the
removal of James Scully.
Our source at the Department of education has told us that if
Piscitello is too damaged by the scandals surfacing about her
illegal activity, the DOE’s second choice for permanent
superintendent is already picked. He is former assistant
superintendent Al Argenziano. Remember that name, you may be
hearing it a lot more as this issue continues to digress. In the
mean time there is no evidence that members of the school
committee plan on addressing the issues of Piscitello’s
behavior. Rumbo has learned however that an ethics investigation
is already underway, and a large number of Lawrence residents are
organizing to recall Ms. Piscitello.