Community Packs OCSD Board Meeting, Calling for Transparency, Accountability

By JOSHUA YOUNGQUIST
 ONEONTA

Nearly 100 people crowded into a sweltering room—“over 100 degrees with no AC,” as Kaytee Lipari Shue described it—during the July 1 Oneonta City School District Board of Education meeting. Despite the heat, attendees stayed for the entire session, determined to witness the board’s deliberations and decision-making. The meeting was also livestreamed on Facebook, where additional staff, faculty and community members watched. According to Lipari Shue, “Many people, both in person and online, criticized the district’s lack of transparency and called on the board to improve it.”

Lipari Shue, an Oneonta High School graduate, OCSD parent, 39-year Oneonta resident, district employee, and president of the Oneonta City Schools’ Clerical Association, said the turnout reflected deep concern about how the school district communicates and makes decisions.

“There was an amazing show of solidarity,” she said, noting the presence of current and retired faculty, staff, and community members.

A central theme of the evening was compliance with New York State’s Open Meetings Law. Lipari Shue, who also serves as City of Oneonta councilmember for the Fourth Ward, emphasized that the OCSD board, as a public body, must meet those standards.

“There are several ways noted which could increase compliance with this,” she said, “first and foremost, increasing public notice for all BOE regular and committee meetings—and ensuring that all meetings of the BOE are posted and open to the public.”

She added that many attendees called for meetings to be recorded and posted online, pointing out that “the City of Oneonta has been doing [that] since 2020.”

Concerns about transparency overlapped with questions about administrative spending. Lipari Shue said attendees raised issues about recent hiring decisions and salary increases at a time when the district has described its financial situation as “strained.”

She pointed to the recent appointment of a director of IT, which led to the hiring of an “IT coordinator” and expanded duties for the media coordinator—OCSD Superintendent Thomas Brindley’s daughter. Those expanded duties resulted in “a 30%+ pay increase for that employee,” according to Lipari Shue.

“Questions were raised about that particular employee’s qualifications for those additional duties—and how those duties were ultimately assigned,” Lipari Shue said.

She described this as part of a broader pattern.

“Over the last few years, as administrators have retired or otherwise left the district, we have seen the scope and titles of those positions be changed to fit particular candidates,” she said, noting such changes often result in restructuring that “reassigns work, and with it, increases administrative expenses.”

Lipari Shue noted that many of these positions “go unposted,” leaving the school community unaware of them until a candidate has already been selected for board approval.

“This same thing has happened in the Curriculum, Special Ed and Transportation departments in recent years,” she said.

Lipari Shue contrasted these administrative changes with the ongoing contract negotiations involving the OCSCA. The union has been negotiating with the district since March and has been working out of contract since July 1.

“The lowest paid member OCSCA (an elementary-school secretary) earned just $25K in 2025-26—approximately $18.00/hour,” she said.

A proposal to raise that salary to $28,000.00 (about $20/hour) for 2026-27 “was rejected by the district as too expensive.” Meanwhile, Lipari Shue noted, “the additional $15K funding for the media coordinator raise materialized well after the 2026-27 budget was passed by the board and the community.”

Despite the tension, Lipari Shue praised OCSD Board President Shawn Beckerink’s handling of public comment.

“The president of the board was exceptionally gracious… allowing everyone in the audience who wished to speak the opportunity to do so.”

Speakers included Oneonta Teachers Association (AFT Local 2895) President Brian Fronckowiak, members of the public, and several active and retired OCSD teachers and BOE members.

Lipari Shue also addressed the board directly during the meeting. She said that while administrators often serve as experts on day‑to‑day operations, “the board has ultimate oversight, and therefore ultimate responsibility.” When nearly 100 faculty and staff show up to raise concerns, she said, “That should be a giant neon sign that maybe you need to take a closer look at business‑as‑usual.”

However, she noted that when BOE member Eamonn Hinchey made a motion to table an item for further consideration, “it doesn’t seem like they’re interested in doing that,” calling the board’s response “very concerning.”

Lipari Shue encouraged constituents to contact the district with transparency concerns, but said doing so is difficult.

“How constituents can contact the BOE, aside from attending meetings, is also surprisingly opaque,” she said. Although board members have biographies on the district website, “no contact information is listed—not even the info for the district clerk.”

Lipari Shue provided the district-issued e-mail addresses for current board members and noted that newly-elected member Emily Popek has not yet been sworn in and does not have an e-mail address.

The full meeting is available in two parts on Facebook, missing only about 30 seconds between recordings.

In response to the concerns raised at the meeting, Superintendent Brindley said the district’s recent restructuring was driven by retirements and operational needs.

“Over the past year, the Oneonta City School District has restructured several departments in response to the retirements of long-serving employees. These changes were made to meet the district’s operational needs and to continue delivering strong services to our Yellowjacket students and families,” he wrote.

 “Several of the positions are long-standing district roles that were filled through internal promotions after vacancies presented themselves,” Brindley said.

He added that, in one case, “The duties of a separate data coordinator position were consolidated into an existing role, which accounts for the corresponding change in responsibilities and compensation.”

He noted that “promotional appointments are not publicly posted, and none of the applicable state laws, district policies or collective bargaining agreements required posting in these instances.”

Brindley emphasized that job duties for district positions are reviewed by the local civil service department and voted on by the civil service commission.

“The district works with its legal counsel and the commission to ensure personnel decisions are handled properly,” he said.

“The district is confident these decisions were made in accordance with the law and district policy,” Brindley wrote, noting that because the matters involve personnel and ongoing collective bargaining, “the district is unable to comment on individual employees or on the specifics of those negotiations.”

Board President Beckerink also addressed several of the concerns raised about board procedure, transparency and communication.

Regarding BOE member Eamonn Hinchey’s motion to table an item for further consideration, Beckerink said he could only speak for himself.

“Each board member receives the agenda five–seven days prior to a scheduled meeting, which provides ample time to review the materials and discuss any concerns with Mr. Brindley. I was satisfied with the information provided to me in the agenda materials,” Beckerink said.

Asked whether the OCSD board would commit to providing greater public notice for all regular and committee meetings, Beckerink said, “All OCSD Board of Education meetings are posted on the district website and published in “The Daily Star,” including the date, time, and location of each meeting.”

On the question of recording and posting BOE meetings, Beckerink said, “This has been in discussion with the board and will continue.”

In response to constituents who raised concerns about the lack of direct contact information for BOE members on the district website, Beckerink said, “In the past and continuing, all correspondence with the Board of Education is handled through the District Clerk’s Office.”

This article was updated on July 8, 2026.