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Palm Beach County School Board votes to fire Plumosa school principal

The Palm Beach County School Board tonight voted 5-1 to fire former Plumosa Elementary School principal Priscilla Maloney, who has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars in furniture from her school, despite pleas from friends and neighbors to keep her.

We all make mistakes and we all know that. If you were to give her another chance you’d see one of the best employees you’ve ever seen, said Boynton Beach Commissioner Woodrow Hay, one of several residents who spoke on Maloney’s behalf.

Maloney, 50, of Boynton Beach was removed from her position last year and was arrested of criminal theft charges earlier this year after she was accused of stealing more than $14,000 in furniture and other items from her school in Delray Beach.

According to a district investigative report Maloney gave the furniture to another employee, Delorisa Brown, to be used at Brown’s Funeral Home in Lantana. Brown, who was area director for school accountability, resigned from the district earlier this year.

Several residents showed up to speak on Maloney’s behalf. Neighbors and co-workers said she donated the furniture and did not profit from the items taken.

She’s a good person. She’s not dishonest. She’s not a crook, said neighbor Joe Buchanan.

Maloney’s attorney, Michael Metz, called the firing a death penalty on Maloney’s career and asked the district to at least wait until the criminal charges Maloney faces are resolved.

Once a jury speaks this young woman will be acquitted, Metz said. This entire investigation is flawed from its inception.

School board member Jenny Prior Brown said district employees have to be exemplary role models for children.

This is not a case about waste. It’s about theft, Brown said. When you steal from the district you steal from a child.

Barbieri said Maloney has already indicated she intends to appeal the firing.

The district also fired several other employees, including Bak Middle School of the Arts janitor Juan Rivera-Ortiz. Rivera-Ortiz, 54, of Lake Worth, was found naked in the schools orchestra strings storage room by the school’s assistant principal in November, according to a district report.

In other business the district:

Hired Sheryl Wood to be the new chief counsel. The board chose Wood, who has been the general counsel with the South Florida Water Management District for the last eight years, from three finalists. The board also decided to change the name of Wood’s position from chief counsel to general counsel. Board members also instructed Superintendent Bill Malone to negotiate a contract that would pay Wood at most the same $190,000 annual salary current Chief Counsel Bruce Harris and possibly less.

Approved an early retirement plan that would pay the health insurance benefits of more experienced school police officers for up to five years in they agree to retire. The district could save money if it can replace the retiring officers with less experienced officers at a lower pay scale.

Discussed the district’s proposed capital budget for the next school year. The proposed budget has been reduced $154 million next year. Most of the cuts are to the district’s construction budget because of falling property tax revenues and very few new construction projects being planned in the coming years, said Chief Financial Officer Mike Burke. The board will hold a workshop on both its capital and general fund operating budgets on July 27.

Board members agreed to not ask for reimbursement for any expenses for work-related travel within Palm Beach County because of the district’s budget woes.

Approved spending $500 to hire the law firm of Meyer, Brooks, Demma and Blohm to prepare an analysis of possible state constitutional claims the school district could file against the state in connection with class size reduction mandates. Board Chairman Frank Barbieri has expressed interest in suing the state, claiming the legislature violated the state constitution by not providing adequate funding for class size limits when they were passed. The Duval County School District will also pay $500.

Barbieri read a statement about the passing of former Classroom Teachers Association president Robert Dow who died of leukemia early Saturday morning. Barbieri called Dow a teacher in the truest sense of the word. He taught us all with his actions.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 and is filed under School Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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