January 8th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The new Allegany County Board of Education prepares for its first public meeting today- with a  packed and potentially controversial agenda on tap. The meeting gets underway at 4PM at the Career Center with an agenda that addresses everything from aborting efforts to remove Wayne Foote;  to changing legal counsel; election of new officers; examining policies dealing with nepotism, ethics and communication;  and even a discussion of revising the  dress code for teachers. The makeup of the board shifted dramatically in November with the election of three new board members- Deb Frank, David Bohn and Robert Farrell- and the re-election of Foote. Farrell, Bohn and Foote campaigned as an alliance, promoting similar agendas and are largely viewed as now having a majority three member block vote to advance that agenda. The new business portion of the agenda includes a total of 15 items- 11 of those requested by Bohn. There are two items related to the board’s legal counsel, including one that recommends replacing longtime board attorney Gary Hanna with the legal firm of Geppert, McMullen, Paye and Getty. Another item calls for reviewing the previous board’s late December approval of a resolution requesting the state remove Foote from the board for alleged misconduct in office. The question of a change in legal representation occurs at an interesting time- as board member Farrell  is currently involved in a lawsuit against the board for wrongful termination; while Foote could also end up with a legal challenge if the state board acts on the request to have him removed from office. Ironically, Bohn also has had legal issues with the school board, one that involved a property dispute years ago.  Today’s public meeting will follow a closed session of the board at the Central Office on Washington Street slated start at 1 for the purpose of discussing “personnel matters, litigation, consult with counsel, and conduct administrative function”