Board of Ed. President Voted "No" to Dr. Pamela Brown | News

Buffalo, NY - It's been almost 9 months to the day since Dr. James Williams retired. Wednesday night the Buffalo School Board voted for Dr. Pamela Brown to be the district's next superintendent.  

The vote was 7-2 in favor of Dr. Brown. Once a contract is signed, she will replace Interim Superintendent Amber Dixon.

Board of Education President Louis Petrucci told 2 On Your side, "We like to thank Amber for all that she's done in the last year, and as we move forward we all stand behind Dr. Brown and try to support her and will support her wholeheartedly in her efforts to change the Buffalo Public Schools."

Petrucci, and fellow board member Jason McCarthy were the only board members who voted against Dr. Brown. Petrucci explained the reasoning behind his "no" vote.

"Based upon the phone calls I received there was overwhelming support in my district for Amber," said Petrucci.

The President of the Board did say his vote was based only on what his constituents wanted.

"Many people felt that weight and credence should be given to Amber, what Amber has accomplished over the last year and a lot of that was based upon her connections, her contacts, relationships that she's cultivated over numerous years," said Petrucci.

About 32,500 students make up the the Buffalo Public School District which this spring saw its gradation rates to just over 50-percent. 

One issue did come up during a recent interview with Dr. Brown and the board members. Brown claimed while working as a school principal in North Carolina both math and english scores increased under her leadership. A background check revealed that the scores were not as high as she indicated.

Petrucci told 2 On Your Side the board has asked Dr. Brown to address this issue, and says that she will the next time the board meets with her.