A former Grand Island administrator has been named principal of Holland’s junior/senior high school, effective Tuesday.
Carl Guidotti was introduced at the School Board meeting Monday. He has 15 years’ administrative experience, 13 as assistant principal of Grand Island middle school. More recently, he spent two years as principal in the Horseheads school district in Chemung County. Guidotti said he returned to Western New York to be closer to his family.
The principal’s contract runs through August 2015 at an annual salary of $80,000.
The appointment allowed the current high school principal, James Biryla, to officially resign from his principal duties. Biryla, who is also acting superintendent, announced his intention to resign in June, but the departure of both the district’s elementary school principal and resignation of the superintendent weeks later put those plans on hold.
School Board president Steven Marom said that the selection of an interim superintendent is “in progress.”
The district is holding a Meet the Principals open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10 in the middle school on Route 16.
In other matters, the board discussed the 2012 excess fund balance, with some members accusing business administrator Patrice Beadle of not keeping the board informed.
Board member Kelleen Kensey said she was blindsided by a motion requesting that $438,564 of excess fund balance be placed into a retirement reserve account.
“We’ve not discussed this as a board at all,” Kensey said.
Taina Armstrong-Hoffman also criticized the business administrator, saying the timing was “unacceptable,” while Judith Geer said she was disappointed board members weren’t given the numbers sooner.
The board had been expecting an excess fund balance closer to $100,000, based on the business administrator’s forecasts.
But Beadle defended herself, saying she only learned that the excess fund balance was larger than expected in June, at which time she told former superintendent Dennis Johnson.
Discussion quickly focused on whether to return the excess funds to taxpayers or place them into a reserve account. The board voted 4-3 for the reserve option, with Kensey, Joseph Levesque and Larry Krzeminski opposing.