Mineola Board of Education Vice President Terence Hale announced his resignation from the school board at Wednesday night’s meeting, citing a demand filed by outgoing board Trustee Irene Parrino with the state education commissioner for his removal from the board.
Hale said the school board had been named as a co-respondent in papers Parrino filed with the state on May 22 that claimed Hale had sent “inappropriate” e-mails to board members in mid-April.
He said he was resigning because he did not want the school district to incur legal costs responding to the allegations.
“I will not allow one taxpayer dollar to be wasted on this frivolous action,” Hale said. “Therefore I have decided that it is in the best interest of the district that I step down as a member of this board.”
In a long statement read to a meeting room crowded with his supporters, a visibly emotional Hale called the e-mails “Terryisms” and without identifying their contents said they “had been misunderstood.”
A copy of the complaint later provided to the Williston Times by Parrino included e-mails to fellow board members in April characterized by sarcasm, locker room humor and off-color comments aimed towards Parrino, Mineola Teachers Association President Teresa Hefner, and the Williston Times, among others.
In an April 20 e-mail to board members and Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler apparently referring to a profile of Parrino in The Williston Times preceding the May 21 school district election, Hale wrote, “I’d rather use poison ivy to wipe myself than the New York Post or The Williston Times…Whatta think about that Irene?…I just read the Friday 4/19 edition. R U kidding me? Were you even at those meetings that you claim to have supported initiatives?”
Hale said his resignation would be effective at midnight, July 2.
Parrino said she filed the complaint against Hale the day after she lost her board seat to educator Patricia Navarra, who like Hale had disagreed with Parrino over the district’s heatedly debated reconfiguration plan two years ago.
At a special meeting on Tuesday night, the school board voted 3-1 to hire Uniondale law firm Harris Beach at a rate of $200 per hour to represent it in responding to Parrino’s complaint to the state board of education. Parrino abstained from voting and Hale voted against hiring outside counsel.
“You could withdraw this and save the school district money,” Trustee Artie Barnett said to Parrino before the vote.
“I don’t see why we need to respond when [Hale] has resigned,” Parrino replied, saying she would not withdraw her complaint.
Board President Will Hornberger said he had been advised by two lawyers that the board needed to retain outside counsel.
In Hale’s statement last week Wednesday, he defended his record with the board.
“This is a sad day and probably the worst in my life,” Hale said. “I have served you, the good people of the Mineola School District, faithfully and compassionately for five years as an elected board member.”
Hale said he had apologized in writing and verbally to his fellow board members about the e-mails and said it was his “belief” that his apology had been accepted.
He had harsh words for Parrino.
“You had three years to bring something to this community and you failed. You failed and they voted you out,” Hale said in remarks directed to Parrino.
Hale concluded his statement by apologizing to school district residents.
“I’m sorry. I let you down and hope you will allow me to make it up to you,” he said. “A few poorly chosen words on my part makes me unable to continue to serve you as trustee at this time.”
After the meeting, Hale declined to specify what the e-mails said and called Parrino’s action “nothing more than a frivolous attack on my character.”
He added that he considered the e-mails to be “personal and confidential.”
Asked whether he would consider running for the school board again, he said, “Absolutely.”
Parrino declined to provide details of what the e-mails contained following the meeting.
“What he said in those e-mails was inappropriate,” she said, describing their content as “demeaning” and “derogatory.”
She said Hale’s e-mails to fellow board members included references to an incident at the Jackson Avenue School earlier this year when one boy saved a friend from choking on a carrot. She said Hale also made “demeaning” comments about district teachers.
In an interview with Blank Slate Media prior to the election, Parrino said some of Hale’s e-mails targeted her.
Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler refused a request for a copy of the complaint under the Freedom of Information Law on grounds that releasing the information would violate personal privacy.
Parrino said filing the complaint against Hale on May 22 had nothing to do with her having just lost the election.
“It had more to do with the timing of when I had to file the papers,” she said.
She also said her complaint was not politically motivated.
She and Hale had been on opposing sides of plans for consolidating the school district, with Hale in favor of closing schools in response to the decline in student population and Parrino resisting the board’s plans to do so. Those plans have been implemented with the leasing of the Cross Street School and most of the Willis Avenue School.
Parrino said she brought the issue to the state education commissioner’s office after filing a complaint against Hale with the Mineola Board of education and receiving no response.
“They didn’t act, but I had no other alternative but to go the route of the commissioner of education,” Parrino said.
She said other board members had told Hale to stop sending inappropriate e-mails before she filed the complaint.
Trustee Artie Barnett indicated that he did not believe Hale’s comments were meant to be hurtful.
“He’s Mineola’s own Yogi Berra,” Barnett said when asked about the e-mails. “They’re all meant to make people smile once in a while.”
“Board members have lots of communications and lots of conversations,” said board Trustee Christine Napolitano. “I feel terrible that such an incredible dedicated career could come to an end.”
Napolitano was later critical of Parrino when told of the release of the complaint containing copies of the e-mails,
“I’m very disturbed that a member of the board would choose to embarrass kids and families by releasing this information. There was no need on her part to do that so it makes me wonder what her true motivations really are. She could have easily filed her complaint with the state education department without releasing private information to the press,” Napolitano said.
Hornberger, who had been Hale’s running mate in the pivotal 2011 school district election, declined to comment.
Several district residents expressed support for Hale during public remarks at the end of the meeting. And one PTA member made a pointed remark to Parrino.
“Your children are young and they have a long time to go in school in this district,” said Cindy Velez, a teachers aide at the Meadow Drive School and a member of the Mineola High School PTA. “I don’t think you want to see them bogged down with something that has nothing to do with them.”
At Tuesday’s special meeting, Barnett criticized Parrino for releasing copies of Hale’s e-mails to the press. He also criticized her for a letter her legal counsel sent to Nagler alleging that Velez had implied a threat to her children.
“To throw an employee under the bus is beyond me,” Barnett said.
The board unanimously rejected the option of holding a special election to fill Hale’s seat. Nagler said the board could either seek a candidate or advertise for prospective candidates.
After discussing options for the selection process, the board reached a consensus on posting ads in local newspapers and setting a June 25 deadline for receipt of letters from prospective board candidates.
Nagler suggested interviewing board candidates in executive session during its July 2 reorganization meeting after Navarra becomes a board member. He said the board could also convene a special meeting on July 3 if necessary.
“I would like to put this behind us as quickly as possible. I would like to get back to business,” Napolitano said.
