Horan should step aside

To the Editor:

With regard to the recent Guilderland School District vote, this is to express my appreciation to Allan Simpson, who was not re-elected but has served on the board since 2010, including as board president. His experience and knowledge will be missed.

The election of Timothy Horan raises other concerns that I hope the board can and will address. In my view, a district employee, teacher or other staff, should be disqualified to run for a seat on the board. And, there should be a waiting period of five years after leaving the employ of the district to qualify to run.

In Mr. Horan’s case, there were a number of apparent actions as reported in last week’s Altamont Enterprise that raise red flags that are clearly violations of district policies developed through the years. One is the promotion by the union of Mr. Horan on school property. The New York State United Teachers’ representative, Michael Rowan, agreed that part of the letter distributed via teachers’ mailboxes was in violation of using school property to promote a specific candidate. Other examples are provided in Elizabeth Floyd Mair’s article.

Why is all this important? Primary obligations of any school board include the development of the school budget, the major cost of which is staff salaries and benefits, and to discuss and vote on labor contracts. Given the overwhelming union support for Mr. Horan and the fact that his former colleagues and friends remain on the payroll, is it conceivable that he may not be in the best position to render the disinterested opinions that these matters require?

In the interest of doing what is right and setting an example for Guilderland children, I urge Mr. Horan to step aside.

Gerard Houser

Guilderland

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.