In a narrow vote, the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District Board of Education appointed an interim superintendent who left another area district in disgrace.
On Tuesday, Oct. 9, the Board of Education selected former Voorheesville Superintendent Alan McCartney to replace Elisabeth Smith as head of the district. McCartney left his previous post after an audit from the state comptroller’s office found he was misappropriating district funds.
The board voted 5-4 in favor of the appointment. Smith was expected to stay on with the district until Nov. 20, but because a replacement was found, her last day was Oct. 19. McCartney has since been undergoing training with district officials.
“I was involved in the interview process and got to meet all of the candidates,” said board member Michael Robbins. “Obviously, everyone takes something a little different away from a 40-minute interview, but I felt (McCartney) was the best fit for our district and that’s why I’ll be supporting him.”
The 2005 audit found McCartney and his former assistant superintendent Anthony Marturano improperly paid themselves $216,000 for leave and other employment benefits. Another $11,500 was also found to have been charged to or reimbursed by the district for various “personal expenses,” like hotel rooms, food gifts and alcohol.
McCartney only paid back $600 at the time, including $357 he charged at a strip club on Dec. 17, 2004.
The Albany County District Attorney’s office eventually decided not to pursue criminal charges, but the Voorheesville Central School District sued in an attempt to recoup some of the lost funds. In April of 2007, a settlement of $40,000 was reached.
“In comparison, I feel this is not the best person for RCS now or in the future,” said board member Alice Whalen. “We need someone to move us forward and I don’t agree that this is the best person.”
At the meeting, school board member Edward Reville said he was concerned McCartney may have spent too many years away from the education field and was unsure how that would affect his performance.
“I’m not saying I’m not willing to work with this person, but this isn’t the person I would have chosen,” said James Latter, another board member.
Smith announced she was leaving in late August after one year in the job, but said her decision had nothing to do with the recent tumultuous events within the district.
In recent months, RCS Board of Education Chairman John Vadney was arrested for a misdemeanor charge of aggravated harassment over an argument with the father of a fellow school board member, while board member Rodney Krzykowski declared himself a sovereign citizen and refused to pay his taxes. The Vadney family has also filed a lawsuit against the district and several staff members over an incident in which their son was allegedly bullied, while the state Education Department reviewed allegations of voter fraud occurring during the May budget vote.
Vadney supported the decision to appoint McCartney, but could not be reached for comment. It is not known what the new interim superintendent’s salary will be.
In an email, McCartney said he is taking his training seriously and is excited about getting started “working with the total school community towards their vision of being an exemplary 21st century learning community whose graduates are well-prepared to excel in a complex, interconnected and changing world.”
“My intent is to get to know the school district and its people as fully as possible in a brief period of time, outside of the daily context of crisis and problem solving,” he said. “Examine key issues in the school system’s past in order to make sense of how such issues are handled and to identify the norms which affect how the organization may function in the future, and to identify the tasks which need to be done and establish how they should be accomplished.”