It appears that the Mount Vernon school board has finally fired former Superintendent Waveline Bennett-Conroy, who was reassigned, suspended and brought up on disciplinary charges over her handling of millions of dollars in federal grants and other matters.
The district had been locked in arbitration with Bennett-Conroy over its efforts to fire her.
At the start of a school board meeting on Tuesday, June 3, Royce Russell, in-house counsel for the district, said an arbitrator had reached a decision in the matter, but did not say how the case was decided.
But toward the end of the meeting, the school board adopted a resolution regarding a hearing officer’s findings on an employee — with the dates matching those in Bennett-Conroy’s case. The resolution said the board adopts the hearing officer’s recommendation that “the penalty of dismissal is appropriate” and that the board terminates the employee, “effective immediately.”
The school board first reassigned Bennett-Conroy from the superintendent’s office in February 2023, days after confirming that she and the district faced a federal investigation over their handle of federal grant money. The board filed disciplinary charges against her in March 2024.
In his comments Tuesday, Russell praised the school board for pursuing the case. Bennett-Conroy had continued to collect her annual salary of $285,681. Her contract was to expire June 30.
“The concerns raised by the board and the community underscores the importance of vigilance and transparency,” Russell said “The district remains committed to ensuring trust and ensuring sound governance and putting the needs of our students and our community first.”
Demario Strickland will take over as Mount Vernon superintendent July 1. He is finishing up as interim superintendent of the Rochester City School District and was previously deputy superintendent there.
K. Veronica Smith has served as Mount Vernon’s acting superintendent.
Investigation found that Mount Vernon school district broke state laws in use of federal grants
The school board reassigned Bennett-Conroy in February 2023, acknowledging a federal investigation of her and the district over their handle of federal grant money. The grants were mostly intended to help the district improve the academic performance of students and schools not meeting standards.
Months later, a firm hired by the school board determined that the district had awarded $7.1 million in federal grants to two vendors between 2015 and late 2022, but did not have sufficient documentation that the vendors had provided services to students and staff or had achieved academic goals. The district broke state laws by failing to follow required procedures, the investigation found.
Both vendors also had ties to Bennett-Conroy’s son, Marlon Stephenson, who later worked for the district.
Bennett-Conroy became superintendent on July 1, 2022, with a three-year contract. But she previously served as an assistant superintendent, overseeing grants, under then-Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton, who is now Edgemont’s schools chief.
School board filed disciplinary charges and Bennett-Conroy sued
In March of 2024, the board suspended Bennett-Conroy and filed disciplinary charges against her that accused her of, among other things, lying about the oversight of federal grant money and bullying staff.
Bennett-Conroy sued the school district in August 2024, asking a federal judge to pause the district’s arbitration proceedings against her. She contended that because of the federal criminal investigation, she could not testify in her own defense without risking self-incrimination.
A federal judge allowed the district to continue its efforts to fire Bennett-Conroy. But it’s been a costly process for the strapped school district. Between November 2023 and September 2024, the district was charged $292,000 by Aiello & Cannick, the law firm handling the arbitration.
Russell, in his statement, said it would have been “easier” for the school board to “avoid controversy,” but the trustees chose to upheld their fiduciary duties.
“The case involved serious allegations, including misrepresentations made to both the board and the public, as well as the engagement of a vendor for whom the district was unable to substantiate had provided all the required services they had been retained to fulfill,” he said.
Officials did not indicate whether the federal criminal investigation continues.
Mount Vernon plans to close three schools next fall and lay off dozens of staff members because of ongoing financial troubles.
Bennett-Conroy worked in the Mount Vernon schools for two decades, as a teacher and administrator, before landing the top job.
“That was always my dream, to get to the top, but you have to earn it,” she told The Journal News/lohud in September 2022, as the school year began. “I was comfortable in each of my positions with the schools, until I was approached about another position. ‘Please apply.’ Along the way, I earned trust in the community. If this community doesn’t trust you, it’s a problem.”
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mount Vernon board appears to fire former superintendent Bennett-Conroy after long ordeal
Reporting by Gary Stern, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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