Dear Mr. George Albano, Dr. Wilson, and Members of the Board of Education,

We write to you as members of the Tuckahoe community to express great concern over the conflict of interest that will exist once Mr. Carl Albano, becomes Superintendent of Tuckahoe Schools on August 1, 2016. As a result of this concern, we are asking Mr. George Albano to step down as principal of Cottle Elementary School.

We recognize that:

• One of the main duties of the Superintendent is to direct the operations and activities of administrators, to see that they (administrators) effectively guide and coordinate the operations and activities of the educational system, and to evaluate their job performance.

• The Superintendent is responsible for fielding concerns about a principal's leadership abilities.

• Nepotism and favoritism are universal concerns which is why conflict of interest policies exist.

• Tuckahoe's Board of Education approved an exception to their Conflict of Interest Policy (9120.1) because of the difficulty in finding a qualified Superintendent. Finding a qualified principal does not present the same challenge.

• Preserving a system of accountability is necessary in any educational institution.

• Preserving the integrity of our district and/or the perception of integrity is essential to keeping Tuckahoe a desirable community to live in and for maintaining property values.

We urge you to listen to our concerns and to prevent this conflict of interest from undermining the reputation of our district and the trust of our community in our schools.