WPCNR  SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. November 19, 2009: Jim Hricay, newly elected Board of Education Member disclosed Monday that due to his being married to a White Plains school teacher, he would not be voting on matters pertaining to teacher contracts, nor participating in Executive Sessions on teacher negotiations. Hricay told The CitizeNetReporter when asked how his expertise (in municipal finance with the cities of Stamford and White Plains in budgeting) could contribute to economical functioning when he could not vote on the issues, said he could still make suggestions to other board members, but not on teacher negotiations.

BOARD OF EDUCATION  MEMBERS BASSANO, HRICAY, TAKE THEMSELVES OUT OF VOTING ON CERTIORARI AND TEACHER ISSUES, RESPECTIVELY.

At the time he ran for the Board position last spring, Mr. Hricay did not discuss the extent to which  he would have to recuse on such teacher issues. Peter Bassano, another Board member, also had a statement read by the clerk to the Board, Michele Schoenfeld, that he, Bassano would recuse himself in voting on certiorari (tax refund) matters since he is employed by a law firm in the certiorari practice.

Bassano and Hricay, unfortunately, are the only Board members with extensive  familiarity with municipal and labor experience, therefore become "advisory" sources in what appears to be a very limited and possibly ineffectual way. Other members of the Board can choose to ignore them in discussion and in votes on the two most sensitive areas the board has to deal with: the labor agreements with teachers, administrators, and labor and, in Bassano’s case, school acceptance of certiorari refunds. Mr. Bassano's refusal to involve himself in certiorari matters has been known since Bassano came on the Board in 2003.

During the televised Board of Education meeting Thursday evening, the Board of Education approved $517,104.20 in certirorari refunds, (neglecting to announce the amount publicly),  $301,000 to JP Morgan Chase (4 Branches) and $106,000 to “North Broadway” according to district “back-up” material.