Putnam District Accuses Chappaqua Schools of ‘Poaching’ Teachers

Members of the Putnam Valley Board of Education rebuked the Chappaqua School District last week for using its financial resources to entice teachers into switching districts a year after losing its high school principal.

Putnam Valley Board Vice President Joseph Ferraro confronted the Chappaqua Board of Education and the district’s administration for its recruitment practices during the public comments portion of its June 7 meeting. Ferraro said he informed his board colleagues that he would be making a statement at the Chappaqua meeting.

“We simply cannot match the extravagant salaries offered by Chappaqua, and as a result, we’ve become easy prey for your recruitment efforts,” Ferraro told Chappaqua officials. “We do not have the luxury of a community that passes budgets with a near 80 percent yes vote.”

“What is truly offensive and deeply personal about the situation is the pattern of behavior we have witnessed from Chappaqua,” he added. “This is not the first time Chappaqua has raided neighboring school districts, poaching untenured or newly-tenured staff.”

Three high school teachers, including the head of Putnam Valley’s science research program and a physics teacher, highly-difficult positions to fill, particularly late in the school year, are making the move this summer, Ferraro said. There’s also a guidance counselor and a middle school special education and math teacher who are leaving.

Without mentioning her by name, Ferraro said Putnam Valley’s former high school principal Dr. Sandra Sepe left for Horace Greeley High School, and as vacancies opened in Chappaqua for next year, contacted teachers that she had supervised.

Last week, Ferraro, a 12-year board member, estimated that Chappaqua is able to pay $20,000 to $30,000 more for the teachers who are at comparable points in their career. He said people have the right to make as much money as they want, but there are also advantages to seniority, receiving longevity perks and staying with a district for an entire career.

Barbara Parmly, a former teacher and a longtime Putnam Valley school board member, said in all her years involved in education, she has never experienced what she called a “corporate style” approach to attracting faculty. While movement is to be expected, particularly among administrators, this situation goes well beyond that, she said.

“This was not just Chappaqua posting that they had openings and we had teachers who saw these postings and applied. That’s one thing,” Parmly said. “But when they reach out directly to our teachers and ask them to apply, that’s more of a concern for us. Either way we’re losing good teachers. We just felt it was serious and unsettling for our programs.”

Last week, The Examiner reached out to Chappaqua Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Ackerman and Board President Jane Shepardson. Only Ackerman responded, saying that Chappaqua is committed to recruiting, hiring and retaining the best professionals it can find and uses a variety of methods, including regional recruitment fairs, advertisements and speaking with candidates through professional networks.

“We offer competitive salaries and extensive opportunities for professional growth” Ackerman said. “Most importantly, our community supports, respects and values our faculty and staff. Candidates apply to work in Chappaqua for a variety of professional, environmental, and personal reasons that are best shared by them individually.

“It is true that a number of exceptional, experienced educators have chosen to work in our district next year, and we are thrilled to welcome them to Chappaqua this September.”

When pressed, Ackerman declined to respond as to whether Putnam Valley teachers were contacted directly by Chappaqua personnel.

In addition to Sepe, Putnam Valley also lost its former elementary school principal Jamie Edelman, who moved to Chappaqua in 2021 and serves as interim assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services. Previously, they lost an assistant principal, who spent about two years in Chappaqua.

The sentiment was also shared by Putnam Valley Trustee Sam Oliverio, who said the highly unusual practice is a warning sign to other smaller districts or those who can’t match districts like Chappaqua financially.

This year, Putnam Valley had 1,539 students enrolled with a $55.8 million budget. Chappaqua has a 2022-23 approved budget of $133.9 million and listed 3,574 students.

Oliverio said Putnam Valley can’t compete with Chappaqua’s salaries because it is a working-class community that has virtually no commercial tax base.

“Really, it’s very damaging to the kids,” said Oliverio, who spent his entire 35-year career at Putnam Valley schools as a teacher and guidance counselor and retired as assistant high school principal. “These are individuals who the students loved, had great rapport with and they were doing very, very well. It’s not like we pay a pittance. We don’t. Our salaries are pretty good but we can’t match what Chappaqua has.”

Ferraro said he has no expectation that anything will come of him speaking out but wanted to let Chappaqua school officials know that Putnam Valley has invested resources into developing its young teachers, while Chappaqua takes a more polished instructor without having to do the heavy lifting.

But Putnam Valley has its advantages, Ferraro said.

“Putnam Valley is a pretty fantastic community and school environment for a teacher to be in,” he said.