Newburgh school board meeting descends into chaos, board and community divided

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Parents, community advocates and some school board members all seemed to help the tension hit its boiling point at Tuesday night's school board meeting. The meeting, which lasted about five hours, began to descend into chaos during the first of two public comment periods as district residents shouted their criticism of the new board president over a handful of issues, some personal. Many were upset with board President Christine Bello for proposing a forensic financial audit of the district, which opponents say is not necessary and would cost the district too much. She suggested new board meeting times and locations, and called a parent a rude seven-letter name during the board's July 2 meeting. Bello later apologized. "What they witnessed was despicable," Schnekwa McNeil – a community organizer who sits on two city boards – said of the meeting which she watched online. She has noticed the board has not discussed serious challenges facing the students, particularly their math and reading test scores, which indicate most of the district's K-8 students cannot read nor do math at grade level. McNeil said most people in the room – administrators, board members and community members – were all responsible for the disorder. She hopes that after seeing in the meeting video how they acted Tuesday night, all stakeholders "take a breath and refocus" on education and move past personal disputes. "Adults make mistakes as well," she said, "and they need to be forgiven as children are to be forgiven, and then given a second chance." After two rounds of public comment, board member Leticia Politi tore into Bello, calling her recent actions racist. "We do know your heart," Politi told Bello. "It does not value human beings. I think it's time for you to step down as president. You do not represent me or my values." Bello told News 12 board policy limits what she can say publicly, offering a general statement. We're at a crossroads because when people show up at meetings with the intention to disrupt, it prohibits us from getting to the business at hand," she said. "It's counterproductive to loving the district forward." Superintendent Jackie Manning Campbell said through email there is a learning curve for new members. "It is my hope that as our new board members complete their required training to better understand their roles and responsibilities we will collaborate to move the district forward," she said. "