Education commissioner denies appeal

By TOM KANE

ALBANY, NY — Margaret “Margie” Tenbus will be the principal of the new Sullivan-West high school when it opens in the fall of 2003.

The New York State Commissioner of Education Richard Mills denied an appeal by four school board members to reject the decision by the majority of the board to make her the principal.

The vote and the appeal were made in the fall of 2001.

Five board members voted to appoint Tenbus principal without the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools Michael Johndrow and then Assistant Superintendent David Rowley.

After the appointment, Rowley threatened to leave the district and followed through on his threat by resigning last December to become superintendent of the Edmeston, NY school district.

Members making the appeal were Rick Lander, Richard Sandler, K. C. Garn and former member Donna Sauer-Jones.

The minority made the argument that the board hadn’t the ability to make the appointment, citing a provision in the law.

The commissioner, in a precedent-setting ruling, stated that the provision of the law did not apply to the appointment of administrators, only to teachers.