Music Teacher's Tenure Decision and Grievance Meeting Both Set for Monday

Terence Smolev, the attorney from Forchelli Law who is representing Bellerose music teacher Rebecca Posteraro, says after nearly three years on the job and assigned to home teaching.

Calling it “unusual” for a district to take such action after hiring a teacher repeatedly for three years, Smolev said Friday that he was scheduled to meet with the district Monday morning in a “first level” grievance meeting. Should nothing be resolved at that meeting, a second level meeting can occur, and so forth, although Smolev emphasized that winning a grievance does not grant tenure.

“If we win the grievance, we’ll have to decide what to do next,” he said, adding that there were other litigation issues involved regarding the “mistreatment of our client by the district.” However, he declined to go into specifics.

He also declined to offer any opinions as to why the district might have taken such action in the first place, saying “I don’t believe in speculation.”

Smolev said he hoped the district would reconsider its actions, but admitted that “I think they’ve put themselves in an embarrassing situation.”  

According to the district web site, Board members are anticipated to go into executive session on Monday evening at 6p.m. to “discuss matters pertaining to the employment history of particular individuals., at which time Smolev said they will determine the fate of Posteraro’s tenure. Executive sessions are closed to the public, but a regular Board meeting will follow at 7:30 p.m. in the William J. Brosnan School cafeteria.

Smolev said the music teacher has been told that Superintendent Marylou McDermott is recommending that she not be given tenure.

The whole issue of Posteraro’s tenure came up publicly at the  when several Bellerose parents asked why the teacher was suddenly removed from the classroom without explanation.

At that time, both McDermott and UTN president Antoinette Blanck said that the matter could not be discussed publicly because of privacy concerns. Parents at that meeting had asked if they could meet with McDermott separately. E-mails and phone calls to district attorney Mary Anne Sadowski of Ingerman Smith regarding clarification about such a meeting have not been returned as of the writing of this article.

Northport Patch will continue to follow this story.