Appointment Riles Residents
In a move that has drawn criticism from the community, the Springs School Board has appointed a new district clerk, choosing a different staff member over an employee who had served for 13 years in that capacity.
The board voted 4-1 on July 13 to install Julie Bistrian, the school’s senior accounting clerk, as the new district clerk. The move means Fran Silipo, the previous clerk, who has been working in Springs since 1999, will continue to be the superintendent’s secretary, a position she had held in addition to the district clerk’s job for 13 years.
Jeff Miller cast the lone dissenting vote, while affirmative votes came from Liz Mendelman, the board’s president; Tim Frazier, the vice president, Barbara Dayton, a brand-new member of the board, and Adam Wilson.
The vote followed an executive session that lasted close to an hour and a half. School board members do not discuss the specifics of executive sessions when they pertain to matters such as hiring, real estate acquisition, and contract negotiations.
The board has drawn criticism from members of the community who say the decision to oust Ms. Silipo lacked transparency and fairness. Pat Brabant, a 30-year resident of Springs with four school-age children, said he was shocked to learn about it.
“Through all the different superintendents we have had . . . Fran has always been there to answer questions and get things resolved,” he said. “Talking to other people in the school district who have been there a lot longer than I have, people are really upset.”
Mr. Brabant said he had nothing against the new district clerk, but that “it’s tough when you don’t know what’s going on. Fran did a great job. She is the heart of the school.”
Ms. Silipo declined to comment on the board’s action, saying only that she was not given a reason for the change.
Reached by phone yesterday, Ms. Mendelman declined to discuss specifics, saying only that “the district clerk is an annual appointment, and the board decided to go in a different direction.” Ms. Silipo, she said, “is still the superintendent’s secretary, which is a very critical role for the school district.”