August 22, 2024

Catskill Central School District Community,

On behalf of the Board of Education, I would like to acknowledge all of the members of our community who attended the August 21 special meeting and thank those who personally shared your concerns with the Board. Our school community has been through some very difficult times over the past few months and I want to acknowledge our appreciation of your continued commitment to our school district. Regardless of our personal opinions, I believe that we all want the same thing, which is for the Catskill Central School District to continue to be a welcoming and supportive learning environment in which all of our children can thrive and succeed.

We have and continue to listen to our community’s concerns and take every one of them seriously. Working with our legal counsel to ensure that we conduct ourselves in a legally proper manner, we have looked at all the facts, and now consider these past personnel matters closed. We will continue to listen and properly vet new information as it comes to light. Should we be instructed by competent authority, such as the NYS Department of Education, to take appropriate action, we will not hesitate to do so.

One of the most frustrating things for the community, as a whole, to understand is the Board’s inability to share specifics as they pertain to individual personnel issues. The Board understands this frustration, but please understand that we must always comply with all applicable confidentiality laws. In an attempt to provide you with some clarity, I would like to share the following.

With guidance and review by our retained legal representation, the District conducted all investigations and addressed all potential personnel matters in accordance with applicable policy, regulation and law.
Our legal counsel has determined that there has been no conflict of interest in how the members of the Board have addressed the matters before it. Questions of possible conflict have and will continue to be vetted with our attorneys.
The Board’s primary focus is taking on the never ending challenges that will allow us to provide the children of our community with the sort of high quality education, opportunities, and support that they deserve.
I have every confidence that the Board and Administration can work collaboratively to lead our District and meet the goals that the Board sets forth.

The time is now to move forward as the start of the new school year is just around the corner. It is the sincerest hope of the Board that, together with our staff, students, parents, and the community at large, we can channel our collective passion for the betterment of our schools into something that truly benefits all students in the Catskill Central School District.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Holliday
Board President