Perez Accuses Those Who Voted Against Her Of Wanting Her Out Of Office

Monroe-Woodbury loser Perez clings to notion union swayed election
By John Sullivan

May 25, 2007Times Herald-Record

Central Valley — Depending on your point of view, last week's victory by relatively unknown challengers over school board President Claire Perez and her running mates in the Monroe-Woodbury School District represents hope for less controversial leadership, or a Trojan horse that will disrupt the district's administration.

Perez contends that her opponents ran as proxies for teachers, who used their influence to rally votes against her.

Their goal, she alleged, is to oppose changes by new administrators, who have tightened accountability and oversight.

She particularly suspects Michael DiGeronimo, who received the most votes and led the opposition, as having an agenda that represents teachers' interests.

That DiGeronimo did not disclose in campaign statements that his wife, Sharon, is a school nurse and department head is evidence of his connection to this group, Perez said. As a board member, DiGeronimo is now in a position to work on behalf of those teachers as contract negotiations near, Perez said.

Interviews with DiGeronimo's supporters, however, show that he and his running mates tapped into dissatisfaction with Perez, who was viewed as having too much sway over policies and daily administrative decisions.

DiGeronimo and his running mates, Erich Tusch and Jim Galvin, have spoken only in generalities about their intentions as future board members. "There is a strong commitment on my part to not engage in an exchange which is based completely on conjecture by Mrs. Perez," DiGeronimo said in an e-mail.

The trio of newcomers, as well as the teachers union, denied any affiliation with each other.
About a dozen supporters interviewed by the Times Herald-Record were on a list of 164 who signed a nominating petition supporting DiGeronimo's candidacy. Most interviewed were teachers and support staff members.

All denied an organized effort by the teachers union to oust Perez, and described their dissatisfaction as a general sentiment shared by the community.

"As far as what they're saying in the paper, that the teachers union had influenced the election, they did not. That I'm certain of," Roberta Linton, an elementary school secretary, said.

Perez questioned DiGeronimo's intentions for being on the board, since he never before voted in a school election and has never met with any of the district's top administrators.

She described her critics' characterization of her as misinformation manufactured by enemies, as well as by the Times Herald-Record, which listed her as one of the area's most powerful people in 2005.

"There have been very, very few, if any, initiatives that people might be disgruntled with that were spearheaded by myself," she said.


Well, the last thing we want is for teachers to have any say in the matter - what the heck do they know about education?