Joy Myke
By Dan Murphy
A former Assistant Superintendent for Business for the Lakeland School District is suing the district, and Superintendent Karen Gagliardi for wrongful termination.
Joy Myke, who was hired in 2021, after an impressive professional career that included working for IBM and in the Tarrytown School District, BOCES, Chappaqua school district, claims in her suit in Westchester State Supreme Court that Gagliardi fired many top administrators and replaced them with “personal friends of Gagliardi and the Board of Education trustees.”
Myke was fired in December of 2022. Superintendent Gagliardi cited three reasons for Myke’s termination. They included difficultly filing a district report and a natural gas contract, and a lack of organization in her office.
Myke denied all of Gagliardi’s claims in her suit, and identifies five former Lakeland employees who she claims were let go and replaced by friends of Gagliardi and of Lakeland Board of Education vice-president Denise Kness.
According to court documents, ” After Respondent Gagliardi took over as District Superintendent, she quickly began a process of forcing out all previous executive level cabinet members and replacing them with friends and former colleagues
“On or about October 25, 2021, Dr. Steven Rappelyea, the Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services resigned after pressure from the BOE….Upon information and belief of Petitioner, Dr. Rappelyea’s replacement is Dr. Joe Spatola, a friend and former colleague of Respondent Gagliardi for more than nine years.”
“On or about December 31, 2021, Tammy Cosgrove, the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, retired. Ms. Cosgrove’s placement is Dr. Joe Mosey, a friend and former colleague of Respondent Gagliardi.
“Respondent Gagliardi created a new executive cabinet level position with the title Safety, Security and Discipline Administrator, effective July 1, 2022. Upon information and beliefof Petitioner, Respondent Gagliardi appointed Christian Mercurio, a close personal friend of the Respondent Gagliardi and a former colleague of hers to the position. Notably, Mr. Mercurio does not have the correct certification for his position of Director of Security.”
“Respondent Gagliardi also hired Dr. Tracy Norman as her replacement for Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. Upon information and belief of Petitioner, Dr. Norman is a very close friend of Respondent Gagliardi and a former co-principal of hers at George Washington Elementary School.”
“On or about October 25, 2022, District Treasurer Jose Guevarra resigned. Pamela DellaDonna was hired as the new District Treasurer, who, upon information and belief of Petitioner, is a close personal friend of Diane Kness, the BOE Vice-President. Notably, Ms. DellaDonna has no prior school district treasurer experience and was hired in lieu of a candidate with over ten years of school district financial experience.
“Respondent Gagliardi advocated to the BOE that they give Assistant Superintendent titles to Mr. Spatola and Dr. Mosey. After the BOE supported Respondent Gagliardi’s request and issued Mr. Spatola and Dr. Mosey the titles of Assistant Superintendent, Petitioner (Myke) requested the Assistant Superintendent designation as well, as she was the only executive level cabinet member without such title. Notably, Respondent Gagliardi did not advocate for an Assistant Superintendent title for Petitioner and Petitioner’s request was denied.”
Editor’s Note: I am a current homeowner, and taxpayer in the Lakeland School District. I find Joy Myke’s qualifications for her Lakeland position to more than enough. But she was on a probationary appointment, and the new Superintendent, Gagliardi, obviously wanted to bring in her own team. This happens with almost every political office, and school district leadership posts. We will grant that the quick number of high level personnel turnaround under Gagliardi seems questionable.
But is that act illegal? Perhaps the more important legal question comes down to whether Gagliardi had enough professional cause to terminate Myke.
