NIAGARA FALLS
Niagara Falls School Board fills residency vacancies
Published: November 20, 2009, 12:30 am
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NIAGARA FALLS — The Niagara Falls School Board has filled the remaining slots vacated in September when they fired seven employees for living outside the district — but more firings and hirings over residency are expected.
The School Board on Thursday unanimously appointed an English teacher at Niagara Falls High School at a $36,950 salary and a computer applications specialist at a $29,734 salary, both positions left open from the controversial batch of recent residency firings.
The English teacher was appointed from within the district based on seniority, but the appointment is a contractual substitute that will last through the end of the year, said Human Resources Director Phil Mohr.
The computer applications specialist is a probationary permanent appointment from outside the district. A Grand Island resident, the new hire will have six months to comply with the district’s strict residency policy requiring that all employees live in the City of Niagara Falls.
The policy caused a stir this year when 10 employees were followed by private investigators and eventually fired for having homes outside the city. In September, seven were axed, and all have vowed to take legal action against the district for violating due process. No lawsuit has yet been filed.
Despite imminent legal action, the district has said more terminations are likely. Mohr reiterated Thursday that more employees are under review for violating the policy but didn’t say how many.
“It’s not as if we are done and we are walking away from the residency policy,” Mohr said.
The School Board hired Probe Services in March to conduct surveillance of employees who may be living outside the district. Probe is paid about $900 to $950 per case and has conducted investigations of about 20 employees, he said.
Some of the seven fired told The Buffalo News they were photographed at places like gas stations, grocery stores and outside their homes after work and on weekends.
niagaranews@buffnews.com
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