Articles from Nov. 10, 2005, to June 29, 2007

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June 29, 2007

Lyndon Pitter’s quartet of followers -- aka what’s left of the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School board -- decided not to show up for a scheduled meeting last night. A meeting that was essential to the school’s survival -- and another sign board members are determined to see Highville crumble.

My name is Tamaara Xxxx and I have attended Highville for 9 years. I am now 12 and have alot of memories there. Highville has made learning very fun for me. I went in when I was 3 and was reading at 4, most kids don’t learn that untill they are in the 1st grade age 6. We have always had a great learning standered. I know for a fact our work is advanced. One day while I was over my cousin’s house, I took a look at her homework and I could solve it. My cousin is or was in 8th grade then. Also, what other school has 3 year olds saying number 1-10 in Spanish. Most children couldn’t do that untill High School. I would be stricten with most sorrow if I would to see the school closed down. A beloveded teacher Ms. Leonie passed away with her job still at Highville and if she were to hear of this she’d say that Highville would not fall but rise because we are a family here, and Highville is our home. Highville stays because we the students have something to say and it’s Highville will not go not without a fight.

June 27, 2007

“C’mon,” Hanlan beckoned into the night air after the nearly three-hour meeting. “Give it up for the kids. It’s over.”

June 25, 2007

“I’m concerned but very hopeful that the board will do the right thing over the next week or two and allow the school to continue its academic success and allow the separation to happen appropriately as the state advised,” said Leng.

It is still unclear whether Hamden's only charter school will have an '07-'08 school year. The parents of the 300 students are holding their collective breath.

Suspended Highville Teachers Get No Discipline

Soon to be under new management. File photo

Meanwhile, state deadline looms eerily near for school to reincorporate itself, tidy up loose ends and be forever separate from Pitter

By Sharon Bass

The two Highville Mustard Seed teachers who were suspended with pay -- and abruptly escorted out of the school by a small group of cops -- were spared discipline last night. The Hamden charter school’s board made that decision during a 90-plus-minute executive session.

On May 1, acting chancellor Kimberly Childress put principal Lawrence DiPalma and teacher Wesley Daunis (also a board member) on paid suspension and called the cops. Board chair John Gesmonde would not say why Childress made the move, but inside sources have said former embattled director Lyndon Pitter ordered the suspensions out of retaliation. At last week’s meeting, DiPalma and Daunis were reinstated.

“The matter was investigated and presented to the board,” said Gesmonde, who was Pitter’s attorney during the state investigation that led to his fall from the school he put his name on. Gesmonde said a report of the investigation has to get to the state by May 31.

Board member Richard Riley later said that Childress “had a legitimate reason to make that action.” To which Gesmonde said, “The interim chancellor was only in place for a week [when teachers were suspended] and didn’t know what was going on.” (Childress had actually been in place for a month at that time.)

John Mooney, a Woodbridge accountant, waited in the Leeder Hill Drive school lobby with a small group of parents for the executive session to end.  He said Gesmonde asked him to come to the meeting to talk about doing the school audit. Mooney said he did Highville’s last two audits. Asked how they came out, he wouldn’t comment.

But when the public session began, Mooney left.

After announcing there would be no discipline for the teachers, Gesmonde told the board and parents that Mooney has been hired to do the audit and a lawyer has been retained to form the new corporation. According to a corrective action plan just approved by the state Department of Education, the separation of the school from the development corporation, still run by Pitter, must be completed by May 31. And a new corporation and school board created.

In the plan, the Highville board agreed to bring on new board members and to sever Lyndon and his former wife, Nadine Pitter, from any school operations. They are not to receive any state money. The state’s and U.S. attorney’s offices are reviewing the state investigation on the Pitters to determine whether criminal charges should be leveled.

Parents were significantly smaller in number last night (about a dozen) and also significantly calmer. Last week, many were riled up and vented during public session. Distrust lingers heavily but the strong desire to keep the charter school open seems to outweigh all.

“The only thing we have to do is get to the finish line financially,” said Gesmonde. He said the Connecticut Association of School Business Officials could come to Highville’s aid. In fact, because of the school’s fragile condition (it’s on probation for the second time) it could qualify for free care under CASBO’s “swat team,” Gesmonde said.

“It would be a wonderful thing to have them come in and help us,” he said. “CASBO comes into a troubled school district and tells you what you’re doing wrong. We need guidance and want to pass it on to the new board. We want our business component to be as good as our educational component.”

But, as is his wont, Gesmonde downplayed the turmoil.

“The troubles that Highville is having are not unique,” he said. “If we were so unusual we wouldn’t be getting letters [from outside firms like CASBO] to help. We need intervention. I want somebody like these experts to come in.”

Parents asked about the teachers’ contracts. Childress gave the faculty and staff notices last month saying their contracts would not be renewed.

“We’re almost ready to send out new contracts,” said Gesmonde.

Daunis said it’s typical to get the yearly contracts late. He said the 2006-07 agreements didn’t reach teachers’ mailboxes until “well into April.”

The number of teachers rehired depends on the number of enrollees. The school currently has 300 students but because of the uncertainty of whether Highville will be open in September, some parents have enrolled their kids elsewhere.

Also, Gesmonde said the school might be short of money. “We have to utilize our credit lines,” he said. The audit, which should be ready next week, will determine whether the school has enough money to operate.

Riley said donations and grants have dropped since the investigation started in fall 2005. “Because of the situation we’re in it’s hard to ask for money,” he said. The state pays $8,000 per child.

“Is there money for payroll this week?” asked Daunis.

“Yes, definitely,” said board member Fatima Ennis.

Two hours earlier

While the board was in executive session, parents talked about the "soap opera,” as one called it.

Kevin Walton, a New Haven father of two children at the school, said he wants to be on the search committee that will choose the new board. He does not trust the current members.

“We need some good people to help transition” from one board to the next, he said of the search committee. “We need people who know education, human resources. Some good community people invested in good education. Parents and teachers. That’s the beauty of a private school.” (Highville is a public school.)

Teacher Daunis was sitting with the parents. He confirmed reports earlier given to the HDN that he complained to Childress about Nadine Pitter’s performance as school nurse, which is allegedly the reason Lyndon Pitter had Childress put him on paid suspension. Daunis said after the complaint was made, on April 21 Pitter came to the school and viciously yelled at him and principal DiPalma, who also got suspended, outside Daunis’ classroom. Pitter was not supposed to be on school grounds.

“A lot of the teachers had the same concerns about her nursing style,” said Daunis, 29, who’s been a Highville teacher for four years. Asked about Childress calling the police to escort him out, he said, “I’m like the most passive person around.”

“I’ve had such little sleep over this,” a parent said. “It’s so unnerving. We love this school. It’s almost a family.” She called Pitter’s transgressions an “infidelity.” She also said she doesn’t trust that the current board will really cut ties with him. Also on April 21, Pitter was allegedly given two checks from board members. The Attorney General’s Office is investigating.

“This is like a soap opera,” another parent said.

Parents came out in droves and in full support of Pitter in September ’05, when the then-board wanted to fire him. That board and the finance director all resigned that month citing Pitter's highly questionable financial actions as the reason.

“He’s smooth,” a mother said of Pitter. “He’s very smooth. He is.”

What turned many around was the attorney general’s report, released in April, outlining the findings of an 18-month investigation into the financial and other wrongdoings of the Pitters: embezzlement of school funds, forgery, outstanding salary advances, giving friends no-bid jobs and a host of other stuff.

“I felt absolutely betrayed,” one parent said.

“Deceived,” said another.

But Pitter’s legacy will not be all dark.

“I think he’s a very smart man. I think it’s a really good thing that he’s done with the school,” a mother said. “With everything that went wrong, I always thought it would be better for him to have walked away with some dignity.”

At the next meeting (either May 29 or May 30), Gesmonde said he hopes to have a rep from CASBO speak to the board and might present the audit report.

Gig May Be Up

File photo

After yet another discovery this week of wrongdoing at the Highville charter school, state rolls up its sleeves with an ultimatum

By Sharon Bass

Lyndon Pitter's tight hold on the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School is atrophying.

Despite numerous findings of embezzlement, lying, forging and other dishonest acts committed by the former director and his ex-wife. Despite scathing conclusions of an 18-month state investigation. Despite the attorney general ordering him to be removed from the school last year. The man -- some call a charmer and others call a very slick con artist -- has triumphed time and again with the extremely loyal, perhaps blind, support of his board of directors -- all of whom he handpicked. Though the state has demanded that Pitter and his ex, Nadine Pitter, have nothing to do with the Hamden charter school, it seems they always find a back door in.

Now they may have run out of doors.

Another door was located Wednesday, which might be the final straw. The state now says the school, on probation for the second time, will lose its charter next month if all the conditions set in a May 10 letter from state Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan are not met.

On Wednesday, the commissioner talked with some Mustard Seed teachers about the school in general, when he learned they are also teaching at Pitter's private preschool, Global Kids Academy, also housed in the 130 Leeder Hill building. Highville officials had promised the state there exists a clean financial division between Global and the charter school. The preschool, they reportedly told the education department, used no charter school teachers or resources and operated 100 percent on tuition that was sent to Pitter's development corporation.

But that was a lie.

“It was revealed [Wednesday] that teachers from the charter school have been teaching at the private-tuition-based preschool program,” said state ed department spokesman Tom Murphy. “In the course of the discussion [with McQuillan] teachers were asked if they still had to teach at the Global Kids Academy even though they are paid by the charter school, which raises serious concerns. We're making it clear there has to be a separation of schools and not sharing teachers or funds or resources.” The state has no jurisdiction over private preschools, he said.

“We have called for insisting upon an addendum to the corrective action plan [the school board approved Wednesday] that requires a further separation between the development corporation and the charter school,” said Murphy. “They want to keep [Pitter] in the corporation.”

Yesterday, McQuillan wrote a letter to Highville attorney Stephen Sedor of the Bridgeport law firm Durant, Nichols, Houston, Hodgson & Cortese-Costa saying: “No further state funds can pass through the Highville Mustard Seed Development Corporation while Lyndon or Nadine Pitter remains employed or involved with the corporation in any way.”

This means Pitter cannot sell the janitorial and maintenance services to the school, as the board approved in the corrective action plan on May 9. And he can no longer be the middle man with the rent payments. For an unknown reason, the school sends the monthly checks to Pitter's development corporation (which had been located where the school is but may have recently moved) and Pitter then sends them to the landlord, Ira Saferstein of Weston.

Murphy said the rent, which is state tax money, will now bypass the corporation and go directly to Saferstein.

Reached at his home, Saferstein said he's just peripherally aware of the goings-on at Mustard Seed through media accounts. “It's really not my business, if they're working there and paying the rent,” he said.

Saferstein is the manager of Titan Capital in Westport. He said he bought the Leeder Hill property in January. The city of New Haven leases 80 percent of the 143,886-square- foot building. Highville is charged about $27,000 a month for much of the remainder, he said.

The property agent is Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, a Bridgeport law firm.

Asked for comment on the discovery that Highville teachers are also staffing Pitter's private preschool, Attorney General Dick Blumenthal said, “The [May 10] letter from the state Board of Education seems to be consistent with the recommendations made in our report. We just received the letter and we're reviewing it.”

A message left with Highville board chair, Hamden lawyer John Gesmonde, was not returned.

Knockin' (a Little Louder) on Highville's Door

The sun sets on Mustard Seed. Photo/Sharon Bass

Hamden charter school is pushed further under the state microscope; a House bill is partly inspired by the school's reported ills

By Sharon Bass

Since learning earlier this week about new problems at the Highville Mustard Seed School -- including the highly questionable suspension of two teachers -- the state education commissioner and his assistant plan to ask some tough questions in a meeting today with the Hamden charter school board chair and attorney. And Attorney General Dick Blumenthal is reopening his investigation of the scandal-rocked 130 Leeder Hill school.

If it has a future, it is unclear.

Meanwhile, because of a host of wrongdoings unearthed during an 18-month state investigation of the school, House Bill 1408 was introduced this session. It proposes to increase charter school enrollments and increase funding as well as add a new accountability system for charter boards. This would require every board to include a member of its local Board of Education, selected by that board

“That will give it some balance as opposed to be handpicked by the executive director,” said Tom Murphy, state Department of Education spokesman. He said the bill was triggered by the problems on the Highville board.

Even though the school's former director, Lyndon Pitter, and his ex-wife, Nadine Pitter, were found to have embezzled public money from the school to buy luxury items and vacations; given friends contracts and taken salary advances and not repaid them, the board Pitter has stocked with steadfast allies has consistently overlooked -- or not believed -- his wrongdoings. Those wrongdoings are now in the hands of the state's and U.S. attorneys' offices for possible criminal charges.

At yesterday's monthly state board meeting, Murphy said brand new education Commissioner Mark McQuillan brought the members up to date on the Highville situation.

“Board members had expressed concern about the letter of probation [Mustard Seed got in March] and the charter school board's responsibility to respond to that letter and the requirements,” Murphy said.

The probation letter said the charter had until April 9 to respond with a corrective action plan to the many findings of the state investigation. (Click here for the list of findings and recommendations.)

“And [the state board] was concerned that it's now May 2 and” there's no plan in sight, said Murphy. “We accepted the board's position that they didn't understand what they needed to do even though it seemed to be pretty straight forward.” When the April 9 deadline arrived, the state gave the Mustard board until the first week of May to comply.

“They're very concerned on the state board that this charter school is mired in difficulty,” he said.

An investigation is an investigation

AG Blumenthal said he contacted the chief state's and U.S. attorney's offices, in Rocky Hill and New Haven respectively, about the Highville investigation.

“I can't tell you what if anything they're doing,” he said during a phone interview yesterday. “We are investigating all of the facts and circumstances relating to recent reports of turmoil at the school, including the suspension of the teachers yesterday. We will speak to anyone that has relevant knowledge.”

Highville teachers Lawrence DiPalma and Wesley Daunis were put on paid suspension Tuesday. Some say it was out of retaliation because they complained to the new school chancellor about Nadine Pitter's nursing skills. Pitter and her ex, Lyndon, are not supposed to be on the premises or get paid by the school but inside sources say she is there every day serving as the school nurse.

“We're concerned the suspensions could be related to their [DiPalma's and Daunis'] public comments and was in some way in retaliation or retribution for their exercise of free speech,” Blumenthal said. “The basic point here is we along with the auditors and the Department of Education are jointly investigating recent facts and circumstances. I don't know whether it's a reopening or a continuation. Not that it really matters. This situation is somewhat unusual because it is an ongoing set of issues that apparently require additional investigation.” In March, he released a 115-page document of findings against the Pitters.

Time has technically run out

When Mustard Seed board chair John Gesmonde and the board's attorney meet today with McQuillan and deputy ed commissioner George Coleman “they're going to go over the expectations set forth in the probation letter and make sure the requirements are met,” said Murphy.

He said Lyndon Pitter and Nadine Pitter can no longer be associated with the school in any fashion or receive a dime. But Lyndon, who now calls himself the acting president of the Highville Mustard Seed Development Corporation, is suspected of being paid with school money. He reportedly wants to sell school services to the charter, such as food and nursing, which the state is deeply frowning upon.

“We're skeptical that a relationship with a parent organization would be workable,” said Murphy.

The state also wants the charter school board to include in its corrective plan how it will act responsibly. “There's requirements that the board show capacity to address governance issues and meet their responsibility that they oversee the school and make sure public dollars are spent correctly,” he said .

And Pitter needs to repay over 80,000 tax dollars he illegally took. If all the conditions are not satisfied, the school is in danger of having its charter revoked and either being shut down or passed on to new directorship, Murphy said. This is the second time Highville has been put on probation for wrongdoings.

Skepticism is certainly in the air. Though the Pitters have been ordered off the property, not only is Nadine reportedly there but “we've heard reports that Mr. Pitter continues to have a position at the school and continues to be on the payroll,” said Murphy.

“We're also concerned that [the Highville board] doesn't fully understand that there's a real concern about Mr. Pitter's association with the school,” he said. “That association is just not acceptable. The state board was pretty clear in expressing their disappointment with the board [during yesterday's meeting] and indicated that if these things aren't resolved soon or by summer then that school will not be here in the fall.”

Murphy said the Mustard Seed board must understand that it is “responsible for overseeing the charter and upholding state and federal laws, and to appropriate public funds with a respect for the law.”

On April 28, the new chancellor, Kimberly Childress -- appointed by Lyndon Pitter to take over the school when he was forced out -- gave all teachers and staff resignation letters with their paychecks. Asked if the letters are valid, Murphy said the state board's attorney said because the future of the school is uncertain “they felt obligated to tell the teachers that their contract would not be renewed.” State law requires such notification.

“It is possible that the school will stay in place. It's up to them [board members],” Murphy said.

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The Pitter End

Lyndon Pitter. File photo

By Sharon Bass

The embattled former director of Hamden's only charter school gave pink slips to teachers and staff last Friday, apparently dragging them out along with him.

After an investigation that began in November 2005 and was concluded this March, the state ordered Lyndon Pitter and his ex-wife, Nadine Pitter, to be removed from the Highville Mustard Seed School for embezzlement, giving friends contracts and a host of other findings. And the school has been put on probation. Again.

The termination letters were enclosed in employees' paychecks on April 28, confirmed three sources (two teachers and someone close to the scene), who asked not to be identified. A source paraphrased the gist of the letter: “Due to the uncertainty of enrollment the following school year, your contract will not be renewed.”

According to state statute, school districts, including charter schools, must notify teachers by April 1 if there's a possibility of being laid off in the next school year.

The new “chancellor” Kimberly Childress -- appointed by Pitter on April 2 after he was forced out -- reportedly signed the termination notices since Pitter is not supposed to have any dealings with the school. And though Nadine Pitter has also been ordered to stay away, sources say she is still there every day as the nurse.

Then yesterday morning, Childress put teachers Lawrence DiPalma and Wesley Daunis on paid suspension and called Hamden police to escort them out of the 130 Leeder Hill building, the sources said. Sgt. John Testa verified the 11:37 a.m. call, saying it was to “prevent a breach of peace.” No arrests were made and it was uneventful.

“Those two [teachers] did nothing other than think of the school's best interest,” a source said, claiming the suspensions were in retaliation. DiPalma had recently complained to Childress about Nadine's performance, which triggered Lyndon's anger, said the source.

“Nadine shows up about three or four hours a day and basically hangs out in the cafeteria talking with the staff,” the source said. “Nadine doesn't treat the students who come to her. A child came to her with a bloody nose and she told her to blow her nose. There was a kid with a pink eye. Nadine called the parent and sent the kid back to the classroom. She'll tell kids who are throwing up to go back to class.”

On April 21, shortly after DiPalma's alleged complaint to Childress, sources say Lyndon Pitter stormed into the school looking for DiPalma and Daunis. They were in Daunis' classroom.

“And Mr. Pitter [went into the classroom] and cursed out Mr. DiPalma and Mr. Daunis,” a source said. “He said, 'I didn't step down. I stepped to the side.' All because Mr. Daunis went to Miss Childress and said he was concerned that there's not adequate nursing coverage.”

The source said the teachers walked away from Pitter while he yelled at them: “Don't make me get niggerish on you.” Reportedly, a father and his child witnessed the outburst.

Daunis is the staff rep on the board, but sources say information has been routinely withheld from him.

An eyeful and an earful

The Hamden charter school. File photo

After learning about the termination letters yesterday, the HDN went to the Leeder Hill school around 3:30 p.m. to speak with Childress. The school receptionist Shirley (last name unknown) said Childress was on a conference call and to leave a phone number. But the HDN decided to stick around.

Asked if she got a termination letter, Shirley said, “I have a contract that ends at the end of the year.” Asked again, she refused to answer.

A large woman walked by the receptionist's desk with a few small children in front of her. “I'm gonna beat your head,” she yelled out to one of them. Seeing this reporter turn her head in shock, Shirley said, “She was just fooling.”

Several minutes later, a little girl with braided hair sat on the floor next to Shirley. “I'm gonna punch your eye out,” the receptionist said to the student. “Your mother is gonna punch your eye out.” The girl showed no reaction.

Teacher Stephanie Cervoni Leng, wife of Councilman Curt Leng, and a male teacher then appeared, asking to talk to Childress. Both look distressed. Neither would comment about what was going on. A few minutes later, they went into the chancellor's office.

At around 4:10 p.m., Shirley said she had forgotten that Childress had a class to teach, although most of the children had gone home, and wouldn't have time to talk to this reporter. When Childress emerged from her office a couple of minutes later, she would only say that two staff members were escorted out of the building by police Tuesday. She denied termination letters had been handed out last Friday. She denied anything was wrong. And then briskly walked away.

Lyndon Pitter could not be reached for comment.

The HDN reported the news to Attorney General Dick Blumenthal's office. He responded in an e-mailed statement at 5:48 p.m.: “My office is deeply troubled by recent reports about disruptive events at the Highville Mustard Seed charter school, and we will investigate immediately with the state Department of Education."

Pitter's board

Mustard Seed was put on probation in March for the second time, said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of Education. His department, the AG's and the auditors of public accounts conducted the roughly 18-month investigation.

On April 13, 2006, Blumenthal publicy announced that Lyndon had lied to the charter school board and to the state about having a college education and had forged diplomas. He demanded his removal from the school. But the board didn't want to fire him and instead gave him a new title. Pitter remained in the school and collected his salary and virtually nothing changed.

Murphy said for the school to be taken off probation, the board must meet certain conditions, including getting rid of the Pitters and getting restitution of the “10s of thousands of tax dollars” the couple spent on such luxuries as Armani suits and vacations. (Click here for the list of findings and recommendations.) Murphy said Lyndon Pitter has repaid just a “small amount.”

New students cannot be recruited while the school is on probation. Highville's charter expires in spring 2008. If the necessary corrective actions are not taken, Murphy said “the chances are very slim the charter will get renewed.”

If not renewed, the school could be shuttered or a new party could take over, he said.

The handpicked board -- all Pitter loyalists -- submitted a corrective action plan to the state about three weeks ago.

“They were proposing that Pitter would continue in some capacity in a parent organization that would provide services to the school, and that was not met with great enthusiasm by the department,” said Murphy. “The acting commissioner asked the board to go back and rethink this.”

The board “are all his friends,” said a source. “They've had so many board meetings this year where there was no quorum. There'd be just two people, but as soon as Mr. Pitter needed a vote for something he wanted, they'd show up. They voted for everything he wanted.” The current board chair is John Gesmonde, also Pitter's lawyer.

Murphy said he is aware of the makeup of the board. “Our eyebrows are raised on that,” he said. “There need to be checks and balances and there don't appear to be any.” Asked if the Pitters are still on the payroll, Murphy said he didn't know because the school “consistently files their financial reports late.”

Keeping a hand in the cookie jar

Pitter is the acting president of the Highville Mustard Seed Development Corporation, and according to sources is charging the school rent. It is unclear where the corporation is located. Receptionist Shirley said it's on Whitney Avenue.

“What the board wants to do is purchase the service contracts from the corporation, such as the food, nursing, managerial and global education curriculum written by Pitter,” said a source, “so he can have a steady income because he can't get paid by the school.” The nursing service is Nadine.

But sources say Pitter has never materialized his curriculum and they question whether it exists.

“He's a con artist. He's gotten over a million dollars in 10 years in salary from the state. And for doing what? And he's going to keep his hand in the pot,” said one source. “Mr. Pitter is all empty promises. He'd walk into a meeting and we basically knew he was full of it because everything he said never came true. He promised us we'd be trained as specialists for ADD [attention deficit disorder] children. That never happened.”

Asked what it's like at school without Pitter, two of the sources said there's not much difference.

“We're used to Mr. Pitter not being there. He was never there. He'd work from home all the time. And when he was there he'd yell at the staff, like right before [last] Christmas because he was stressed out,” said one source. “He said, 'It's very hard for me to come to school.' He's like a sociopath. He has no conscience. If something bad comes down for him, he has to make it bad for everyone.” Like the April 28 pink slips on the heels of Pitter being removed from the school

Two of the sources also said Pitter was “very good” to the children “in words.” He told the staff never to yell at the students because they've had tough lives.“

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March 16, 2007

Lyndon Pitter lied about having a college education and forged diplomas because he has post-traumatic stress disorder. He used his school’s credit cards -- owned by the taxpayers of Connecticut -- to pay for Armani suits, silk scarves, vacations and other luxuries because he didn’t always get his salary.

The state only has funding for 16 charter schools. “There are organizations ready to step up,” said Murphy, adding that two have been granted charters but have to wait because of the lack of funding. “We’re not interested in closing down charters but we do have the expectation that they’ll use state tax money appropriately.”

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Finally

Lyndon Pitter. File photo

After 16 months of probing, the AG releases a 115-page investigative report of Hamden’s Highville Mustard Seed Charter School

By Sharon Bass
 
Since autumn ’05 the state has been looking into alleged financial misdoings at the town’s only charter school, primarily targeting the director, Lyndon Pitter, and to a lesser degree his former wife, Nadine Pitter. Allegations of embezzlement, giving friends contracts and misuse of public funds that were to go to educate the children were investigated.

Yesterday, the Attorney General’s Office, the auditors of public accounts and the state Department of Education disclosed its findings. Among their suggestions is to get rid of Lyndon Pitter. But it will be up to his own school board to fire him and up to the state ed department to stop funding his position.

AG Dick Blumenthal said the inquiry was time-consuming because “it involved five investigators and lawyers reviewing thousands of documents, interviewing dozens of people -- current and past employees and board members -- many under oath. It was an exhaustive and intensive investigation. Lyndon Pitter’s sworn testimony required five one-day separate sessions.”

A call to the charter school yesterday was not answered and its voice mail was full.

The report reads: “Our investigation did not concern educational performance by the School, which has become an established learning center. Our investigation, rather, was limited to scrutinizing serious and highly troubling allegations of financial mismanagement and misuse of State funds occurring at the school while Lyndon Pitter was the School’s Executive Director.”

The Findings

1) Pitter made $78,539 in questionable charges to the school’s credit cards from June 1999 to November 1999. He spent $28,192 on Armani suits, cashmere scarves, silk pajamas, luggage, a down payment on a car and toys and games from FAO Schwartz. Another $6,000 went to electronics, a stay in New York City over the Fourth of July weekend, restaurant bills, rental cars, limousine service and Blockbuster videos.

2) Pitter’s ex-wife, Nadine, was paid her full salary as associate director during the 2003-04 school year while attending Naugatuck Valley Community College for a nursing degree -- during the charter school hours. She was overpaid $27,849 of which she’s repaid nothing.

3) Lyndon Pitter charged $1,521 in personal international long-distance calls to the school account in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and only repaid $544.

4) Lyndon Pitter made questionable charges to the school for travel expenses for Nadine and their children to visit San Francisco and Jamaica. Lyndon also charged Mustard Seed for two roundtrip airline tickets from Minneapolis to Hartford for Nadine Pitter’s husband, Bryan Webster.

5) Lyndon Pitter hired his family members and those of the school’s staff for work at the Leeder Hill charter school. Nadine Pitter had no college degrees or background in education, and at least two teachers were not certified.

6) Lyndon Pitter’s salary of $120,782 appears to be well above those in comparable jobs.

7) Nadine Pitter’s annual earnings of $69,322 also appears to be excessive considering the narrow scope of her job, which by her own admission didn’t include administrative, financial or supervisory responsibilities. Her position requires a bachelor’s degree, which she does not have.

8) Though Lyndon Pitter owes the school $83,069 in personal credit card charges, salary advances and overpayments, he is asking Mustard Seed for $112,140 in unsubstantiated and undocumented alleged expenditures. Pitter’s lawyer, John Gesmonde, submitted the demand and is also the new school board chair.

9) Lyndon Pitter submitted falsified undergrad and master’s degree documents from the University of West Indies to both the board and state. He has no college degrees.

10) A no-bid contract for school renovations was awarded to a close friend of former chief financial officer Dezroy Stewart. The contractor was paid $9,000 more than the contract allowed.

The Recommendations

1) Lyndon Pitter should reimburse the school $83,069, which were tax dollars given to Mustard Seed, not him.

2) If the school pays any portion of Lyndon Pitters’ new, undocumented and unsubstantiated claims against the charter school, the state ed department should hold the school responsible for any state funds it gives to Pitter.

3) Lyndon Pitter should no longer be employed by the school and the state ed department should refuse to fund his salary.

4) Nadine Pitter should be removed from her position as associate director. If she stays on as school nurse, her salary should be in line with similar positions.

5) The Mustard Seed board must have defined term limits and establish a search committee to recruit and recommend new members.

6) The Department of Education should submit legislation establishing a process for the appointment of a receiver for charter schools that may have serious financial or operational problems.

AG Says OK to Pitter's New Job

By Sharon Bass

All sides say they are satisfied with the Highville Mustard Seed board's decision last night to demote director Lyndon Pitter. Attorney General Dick Blumenthal had insisted on Pitter's removal on April 13 for lying about having college degrees. The state has been investigating the director since last October for financial wrongdoings.

"The school board has made the right and responsible decision reassigning Lyndon Pitter during the ongoing state investigation," Blumenthal said yesterday. "We recommended Mr. Pitter's reassignment, at least temporarily, based on undisputed facts concerning false documents provided to the board and the state."

In a press release, Department of Education Commissioner Betty Sternberg said, "We have made clear to the leadership of the Highville board, from the very beginning, that it is not our desire to close this school. Indeed, our efforts are directed at addressing management weaknesses at the school to enhance its long-term viability. It appears that the Highville board is beginning to understand this. Once the investigation is completed and findings are issued, we have every hope that the Highville board members will understand the big picture and take appropriate action in their role as independent trustees of the school."

The response, apparently, didn't surprise Highville board chair Mitchell Young.

"We're happy that he agrees with the board and the parents. I think that's a good step for us to move forward," said Young. "The investigation is not over and we still have to secure the future of the school. We did expect all the parties to agree with the decision because it was the right thing to do. We took into account all the community people we talked to and the concerns of the state.

"We found a way to keep Lyndon involved so programs will continue to be developed," he said of the global studies and six-week mandatory summer-school program.

Blumenthal said he was unsure when the investigation would wind down, but said it could happen in May or June.

"The timeline for the investigation is based on cooperation from everyone concerned, as well as other possible factors," he said. "But we never set any timeline for any investigation."

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Highville's Board Removes Pitter -- Sort of

Board chair Mitchell Young. Photo/Sharon Bass

The Hamden charter school responds to AG Blumenthal's dictate that the director leave "immediately" for lying

By Sharon Bass

After emotional and tearful dialogue, the Highville Mustard Seed School board voted unanimously last night to remove director Lyndon Pitter while the state investigates him for financial and other misdeeds. On April 13, the attorney general issued a statement demanding Pitter leave the school immediately because he had lied about having college degrees and submitted forged diplomas to the state.

Board chair Mitchell Young told the other five members that Pitter decided to step down until the state investigation, which began last October, concludes.

"He can't hire anyone. He can't discipline the kids. He will report to the board," the chair said. The school's personnel committee would design the job.

Young asked for each member's reaction.

"This school is a little bit special than other schools," said board member Richard Riley. "We believe in Pitter's vision." He asked Young if he thought teachers would leave if Pitter were not at the helm.

"I think it's safe to say they drank the lemonade," Young replied. "I think they will support Mr. Pitter's vision."

"What impact will this have on the school?" asked member Fatima Ennis-Grant. Young reminded her "this is a temporary situation."

"We want to keep this school vital. But let's start with survival," he said.

Stefanie Cervoni-Leng, the board's teacher rep, sobbed as she responded. "I work hard because of him and what he's done. I don't know what will happen without him," she said. "That's my honest answer. I don't know. He's what gives me my energy."

"My strong feeling is we should do whatever it takes to look after the welfare and future of the 300 children who are entrusted to us," said member Fred Anderson. "The state should be helping us, not be caustic. We took in a lot of kids that weren't wanted by other schools. It took us a long time and some left here as honor students.

"We're going to be cordial to the state, but ask them not to treat us less than any other school in the state. We have to stand up for our kids," he said. "We're the ones they look up to."

Parent rep Joaquina Borges King, an assistant Hamden town attorney until last November, said she supported Young's proposal.

"I really think it puts kids first. Parents were not saying we want you to fight for Mr. Pitter," she said of a meeting Tuesday with 80 to 90 parents who wanted to know what is going on with Pitter and the future of the school. "This school is a rarity. It's not cookie-cutter."

About a dozen parents attended last night's meeting. A mother said Pitter is a "man of his word that he wouldn't sacrifice the school for his betterment. I want the record to show I commend Mr. Pitter for his unselfishness."

Another parent asked if Young's proposal to create a new job for Pitter would satisfy the attorney general's demand, since Pitter would still be working at the school.

"We get unprecise information from the state," said Young. "Their language is not specific. They may find this is unacceptable."

But.

"Let me say it this way. This school is not going to be closed down by the state. The community won't allow it," the chair said.

"Today I am having my breakdown," said Riley. "If they want to lynch Mr. Pitter … But they're not thinking about the kids."

Young said the state treats Highville unfairly. "We seem to be evaluated in a class by ourselves," he said. He said the school's budget is the smallest of all the charter schools in Connecticut. And Hamden is the least hospitable of the communities that have such schools.

He then took the vote.

Riley: "If we must." And the others all voted yes, too.

As they did at Tuesday's meeting, parents spoke about the emotional impact the investigation of Pitter has had on their kids -- particularly after seeing Attorney General Blumenthal interviewed on TV saying the director must be removed for lying about his education. The students are required to watch and read news every day.

Yvette Hedge's daughter has been a student at Highville since the day the school opened. She was in kindergarten. Now she's in seventh grade and Hedge, who also works at the school, said Pitter has been very instrumental in her daughter's development.

"That night we were sitting down and she broke down in tears," said Hedge, when her daughter saw Pitter on the news.

"I must tell you she's so emotionally close to Mr. Pitter and it is affecting her so much. I am requesting counseling," she said. Earlier in the meeting, the board voted to pay the Clifford Beers Guidance Clinic to work with children who are not only upset about the Pitter situation but also the death last year of teacher Leonie McKenzi.

'This time last year she couldn't teach anymore because of cancer," said a parent who asked not to be identified. "The kids haven't gotten over this yet. It's like we're in mourning all over again."

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Mustard Seed Parents Gather for Answers

By Sharon Bass

They're growing increasingly upset and confused. The director of their children's school, Highville Mustard Seed, is being investigated by the state for financial and other improprieties, and on April 13 Attorney General Blumenthal issued a letter to the school board insisting on the immediate removal of director Lyndon Pitter for lying about having college degrees.

So for two and a half hours Tuesday evening, 80-90 parents gathered at the Leeder Hill school looking for answers to what's going on.

What if Pitter has to go? What will happen to the school? Where would my child go instead? Would someone else take over Mustard Seed?

"No one who saw these parents would shut this school down," said board chair Mitchell Young. "These parents are involved. They're very committed to the school. One parent said, 'You can't let the school close because there is no other school I would send my child to.' She said she'd have to quit her job and do home school."

"That was extremely eye-opening for me. It said volumes what the school had done," said state Rep. Toni Walker (D-New Haven) of the meeting in general. "The parents are extremely informed."

Walker said she went to the meeting because some of her constituents' kids go to Highville and asked her to step in.

"I've talked to Mitch and I've talked to Pitter and I wanted to hear what the parents had to say," she said. "I've been following this investigation. I just wanted to make sure the appropriate information was being shared with the parents."

Walker said she has only talked to Young and Pitter about the investigation. She said her bigger concern is the children's education.

"This to [parents] was a goldmine because their children were getting a wonderful education. Parents said their kids were coming from schools where they were labeled underachievers. One parent said her kid was labeled a dummy," said Walker.

"The concern of the parents is -- and this a very valid concern -- they want to make sure their kids have a place to go to school in September," she said. "The thing that really moved me was the number of parents who came to the meeting. If we can get that kind of participation at all the schools, we'd have better schools."

Young said he and three other board members gave the parents an update about the state investigation. Young has been critical of the way Blumenthal is handling it.

"They [parents] were really pissed that the state Department of Education called them an unruly and intimidating mob," he said. "I can tell you that. It's a strategy of [the state's]. But it's going to backfire on them. When you meet these parents it's hard to have that opinion. They're really pretty smart and well put together in many ways. They're articulate."

He said some parents said it would be "fine with them" if Pitter stepped down. Others, Young said, felt otherwise. But they were more focused on the fate of the school than its director.

As a result of the Tuesday night discussion, parents decided to start a letter-writing campaign to their state reps urging them to keep the school of 300 students open. "The sense that I got was that they were going to gear up to protect their school," said Young. "They're going to be talking to their friends and relatives all around Connecticut.

"I think it would be a crazy idea to close a successful school and keep so many unsuccessful ones open," he said. "If there was a serious attempt to shut the school down, I think you would see not hundreds of people but more [oppose it.] Having a successful school is not an everyday thing in the minority community. We're hearing from clergy members because parishioners are talking about it."

Walker said she is going to advocate for the school, which she deems a success, among her legislative colleagues. But the success of the school and Pitter's alleged wrongdoings, she said, should be separate issues.

"I'm still trying to get all the pieces in from what I can gather. It's very concerning to me that the investigation was caused by people who were angry with Mr. Pitter and the school," said Walker. "I did read the forensic report. Then I talked to Mr. Pitter and Mitch [Young]." She said Pitter told her he wasn't receiving his salary when he used a school credit card to make thousands of dollars in personal purchases, which were itemized in the forensic report.

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Highville Mustard Seed Development Corporation
130 Leeder Hill Drive
Hamden, CT 06517
Tel: 203-287-0528 · Fax: 203-287-0693

Highville Board Chair Questions AG's
Whistle-blower Investigation

Cites failure to investigate alleged 'extensive shredding' of financial documents

In an April 22nd press release to the media regarding Highville Mustard Seed Charter School, Attorney General Blumenthal said, "I will pursue the facts wherever they lead", he added, "I will not prejudge the results".

Highville Board Chair Mitchell Young responded by saying "We're very happy that Dick has decided to change his approach, in what already is an eight month long investigation".

Adding, "From the outset all we've asked for is an impartial investigation. Two weeks after the new governing board took control on September 6, 2005 we were informed that there was a "whistle-blower" complaint submitted to the Attorney General's office regarding financial impropriety against the school and Lyndon Pitter the Executive Director".

Citing the Connecticut's whistle-blower statute the Attorney General's office did not supply the details of any charges against the school or Pitter or who had made them

Four weeks after the new board was informed of the unsubstantiated allegations and eight months before any misstatements by Pitter, or the start of any investigation, the state demanded the founders of the school, Executive Director, Lyndon Pitter and associate director Nadine Pitter be "terminated" - within two weeks.

Highville's new board refused citing the need for "due process" and a thorough and impartial investigation.

Young explained among the first issues presented to the Board by Connecticut State Department of Education, chief auditor Raymond Inzero was a demand to justify Lyndon Pitter's purchase of an African American textbook series. The demand was made in person and on a list of issues that needed to be responded to immediately.

Shortly thereafter the new board informed Inzero that there were significant problems with the books and records left behind by the departing board and CFO and that the new board was still attempting to retrieve financial records removed from the building.

Highville's Board also informed Inzero that a new board member an attorney had interviewed employees that alleged a former employee had shred extensive amounts of financial documents.

"Clearly we were concerned about what documents were missing or destroyed and how it would effect our ability to obtain the truth about financial impropriety and by whom", Young said.

The new Board informed the state that among its first actions was the adoption of a new Conflict of Interest Policy that would eliminate the practice of board members being able to hire or contract school services with their own relatives.

On January 5, 2006 Highville contacted the Attorney General's office and provided the names of the former employee and the witnesses to the shredding of documents. Neither of the witnesses appears to have been contacted by the AG's office.

"The failure to investigate the potential theft and destruction of documents in a case regarding financial impropriety is unacceptable and we hope the Attorney General's new statement demonstrates the investigation will finally proceed in an impartial way", said Young.

"As important however, now for the whistle-blower investigation is the possibility that the whistle-blower and the alleged document shredder are one in the same, Young said. "If this is the case it might explain why the financial issues investigation has stalled after all this time, and why the state turned to these other charges to obtain the termination they sought last October", he added.

Highville Mustard Charter School Board is expected to meet on Thursday April 27, to respond to a call from Blumenthal to remove Pitter from the school until "the investigation is completed".

Young added. "we are hoping to have the meeting on Thursday but we still have not received the transcript from Mr. Pitter's interview where the alleged misstatements from made so it may have to be postponed".

Mitchell Young
Chairman of the Board
Highville Mustard Seed Development Corporation and Charter School
130 Leeder Hill Drive
Hamden, CT

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Highville Chair Questions AG's Findings

By Sharon Bass

Mitchell Young said he doesn't care if Lyndon Pitter, director of the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School, has no college education. Furthermore, the Highville board chair said he wants a transcript of the deposition Pitter gave to the attorney general, which led the state to demand last week that Pitter be immediately removed. He was caught lying about having college degrees.

The state has been investigating Pitter and his wife, Nadine Pitter, associate director of the Leeder Hill school, since last October for financial wrongdoings and other acts of dishonesty. Attorney General Dick Blumenthal said the inquiry should conclude in a month or two.

Young said he knew nothing about Pitter's education. "I think I don't really know. We never talked about it. I never really asked him," he said. "I told the state's auditor that we had no interest in Pitter's educational background. He runs the [Highville] corporation but we have two -- not just one but two -- certified principals in the school. Does he need a college education to raise funds? Does he need a college education to inspire young people?"

At the deposition, Pitter's and the board's lawyers were present and dispute parts of the AG's April 13 letter that was sent to the board insisting Pitter be removed immediately, said Young.

"We can't rely on this letter. We have to rely on all the information that is available," he said. "We will be asking for transcripts of the meeting. Lyndon had a lawyer there and the board sent its attorney there to understand what was going on."

Asked if he distrusts Blumenthal (state Education Commissioner Betty Sternberg also signed the letter), Young said, "Let's just say we need to get a copy of the transcript to know what happened."

As an example, he said he questions the validity of the follow statement from Blumenthal's letter: "We asked Pitter what his response would be if we told him that we had contacted the University of the West Indies and that they had no record of his having received any degrees. He stood by his earlier statements and again stated that he had both degrees."

"That's what the letter says what happened at the meeting," said Young. "It would be crazy to rely on somebody's opinion about what happened. One thing that bothers me a lot is Dick's comments in the media. I believe he has done more harm for the educational opportunities for minorities of anyone ever in Connecticut."

The chair said since the school is closed for spring break until April 24, the board has not had a chance to discuss removing Pitter. "We have to contact the board members, some of whom are away. We have to create an agenda," he said. "We can't do what we can't do. In order to have a legal meeting we have to post notice."

Blumenthal did not return a message seeking comment.

Mustard Seed Not the Norm

Dacia Toll is co-founder of the Amistad Academy, a model charter school in New Haven, which is being replicated many times over in Brooklyn, N.Y.

"It's an unfortunate situation and I'm not familiar with enough of the specifics to comment," she said last Saturday from La Guardia Airport. "I think it's important when looking at any situation not to paint with too broad with a brush. Connecticut's charter schools are overwhelmingly successful. They're among the most successful charter schools in the country."

She said she knows nothing about Highville Mustard Seed.

"I kept meaning to go and visit but I never did," Toll said.

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Highville Chair Stands By His Man

By Sharon Bass

After the state ordered the Highville Charter School board to remove its director for lying about having college degrees, chair Mitchell Young still maintained Lyndon Pitter has done no wrong.

Since last October, the state education department has been investigating Pitter and his wife, Nadine Pitter, Highville Mustard Seed's assistant director, for financial wrongdoings. In mid-November, the Attorney General's Office and state auditors joined the inquiry. Among other things, the Pitters have been accused by former employees and board members of using the school's credit cards for personal items, like clothing and vacations, and taking salary advances and not repaying them. The school is housed in an industrial building at 130 Leeder Hill Drive.

Yesterday, Attorney General Dick Blumenthal sent a letter to Bridgeport lawyer Donald Houston, who's representing the charter school board, demanding that Lyndon Pitter be removed immediately for "providing the board and our offices with false documents and diplomas misrepresenting his educational background. These serious and distressing falsehoods by Mr. Pitter, attempting to mislead the board and state officials, were discovered by us yesterday during his sworn testimony. We seek his immediate removal. His actions may constitute grounds for a criminal investigation as well."

"This is what I love about Connecticut today. You accuse a person of stealing and when the evidence doesn't stand up you can trade in your charges for something like resume padding to get your results," said Young. In previous interviews with the HDN, he insisted that the reason the investigation is taking so long is because the state doesn't have any real evidence against Pitter.

The chair said the board will meet after school vacation to "review the situation." Young is the publisher of BusinessNewHaven and other publications.

Blumenthal made it clear the inquiry is not over. "The investigation is active and ongoing concerning possible financial improprieties and mismanagement," he said. Pitter is to stay away from the school "at least while the investigation is going on." Blumenthal said it will conclude "as soon as possible."

The agreement reached last fall between the state and the school board called for both Pitters to take leaves during the investigation. However, they returned to their jobs early last month, without informing the state. It is unclear if Nadine Pitter is allowed in the school.

"We asked that he be removed. We haven't made a demand about her," said Blumenthal. He said he wasn't sure if the board has told Lyndon Pitter to leave. "There's been no response to our letter yet," he said last night.

Several unsuccessful attempts were made to reach Pitter for comment. Messages were left for him at the school and his Wallingford home.

April 13, 2006

Dr. Betty J. Sternberg
Commissioner of Education

cc: Mitchell Young, Chair, Highville Mustard Seed Charter School Board of Directors
Robert G. Jaekle, Auditor of Public Accounts
Kevin P. Johnson, Auditor of Public Accounts
Patricia Wilson, Administrative Auditor, Auditors of Public Accounts

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A Bad Seed?
Hamden's only charter school is being investigated for financial wrongdoings

The state is probing the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School on Leeder Hill Drive.

By Sharon Bass

One side calls it a review. The other, a serious investigation prompted by a serious complaint. Semantics aside, there's apparently something fishy about how money has been handled at the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School at 130 Leeder Hill Drive -- and the state is digging in.

Meanwhile, the chief financial officer and more than half the school board have resigned. And the executive director and his wife, who is the associate director, have just taken paid leaves of absence.

"There is an investigation going on right now, but that is all I can tell you," said Henry Garcia, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. "There are funding issues involved. We're going through records."

That's the official word.

But talk to Highville's executive director, Lyndon Pitter, or new chairman of the board Mitchell Young, and you'll get the impression there's just a voluntary -- almost routine -- review going on. In fact, a letter sent yesterday to parents/guardians of students says just that:

"Although Highville's finances have been subject to an independent annual audit for the past eight years, Highville's current Board has agreed with the State Department of Education to conduct a more comprehensive audit to review in greater detail expenditures, compensation and contracts of the school …" It is signed by Pitter and Young, who is also the publisher of Business New Haven, a bimonthly newspaper.

Young said the state contacted Highville about a month ago because it got a complaint from former CFO Dezroy Stewart. "We don't want any questions of impropriety hanging over the school," said Young. "We need to see if there's anything we need to be concerned about."

Charters, like Highville, are public schools but are separate from their local school systems and receive no local funding. They get money from the state and federal government, grants and fund-raisers. They are typically located in urban areas and serve minority students. Highville's student population is 90 percent black, 6 percent Hispanic and 4 percent white. Its annual operating budget is $2.7 million.

The Walkout

In early September, Stewart and either four or six (depending on whom you ask) of the seven board members, including the chair, quit, claiming Pitter and his wife, Nadine Pitter, Highville's associate director and school nurse, had been using school funds for personal expenses.

"Right now all I can tell you is that six of the seven members of the board resigned," said Stewart in a phone interview from his Bridgeport home. "It's really because of the blatant and recurring financial improprieties of the executive director and his wife. The state asked them to take a leave of absence."

Pitter said he and his wife "agreed with the state to take a leave of absence. I believe that's the most prudent thing at this time. I do not want my presence in any way to influence the outcome of the review." He said they began their leaves yesterday.

"It's probably a good thing because I haven't taken a leave in a long time. I work long hours, 12 hours a day and seven days a week," said Pitter from his Wallingford residence.

"Lyndon had been stealing from the school to buy Armani suits for over $3,000 and his wife (was buying) luggage sets and scarves for over $2,000. (They were) using the school credit card on personal items, over $15,000 a month," said Stewart, who started working at the charter school in 1999, the year after it opened. He said six board members, including the chair, also quit, but Pitter "got two to come back on."

Pitter said that is not true. "I think when someone says six of seven board members have resigned they want to create the perception that something is wrong. Board members were illegally removed. Illegal meetings were conducted by the former board." He said four resigned. The former chair was Hamden's 3rd District Councilwoman Berita Rowe, who could not be reached for comment.

Asked if he was stealing from the school, Pitter said, "I am not going to comment on the allegation. I will allow the investigation to do that. To reveal the truth."

The Last Straw

Chair Young said the situation came to a head on Aug. 31, during a board meeting.

"What we know to be the case is that on Aug. 31 there was a board meeting (where) a couple hundred parents and teachers and some community people as well had questions for the board regarding finances at the school, how the school is doing and whether there was an interest to terminate Lyndon Pitter," Young said. "The board, I guess, didn't really satisfy the parents with their answers."

According to Young, parents said they had no confidence in the board and four resigned. "It wasn't a lynch mob or anything. It was a meeting. At the end of that meeting, they resigned," he said. "The board is not accountable to students, state or community."

After CFO Stewart quit, Young said accountant Lynne Durand was hired as a replacement. "We immediately found there were financial records missing. We could not get into some of our accounts" because they didn't have the passwords, the chair said. He said he contacted Stewart, but he would not cooperate.

Stewart said that allegation is "totally untrue. Not one of the financial records had a password." He said the records were printed out every year. "Mr. Pitter called me one night after 10 on Sept. 12 or 13. I did not return his call. I got a call from Mitch Young within 48 hours."

Stewart said he told Young he gave all his keys to former Chair Rowe.

He's Her Cousin

"Did Mr. Stewart tell you that he is my wife's first cousin?" asked Pitter. When told no, he said it is important to disclose such information, which could bias one's opinion.

"One of things I've learned from this whole process is how people can take things out of context and spin it to their own agenda. I believe in the school. I believe in the mission of the school. Everything I've done since 1998 is not about me. It's about the kids," said Pitter. "If this review is a way to restore integrity in the school, then so be it."

"The board's not trying to hide anything," added Mitchell. "We're taking it all very seriously. But some people are trying to make this into the scandal of the century."

In 1998, the New Haven Advocate named Pitter the "best suburban activist." He was also a lay administrator for St. Ann's Church in Hamden.