Knox principal to leave
By MICHAEL ANICH/The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
JOHNSTOWN - The Greater Johnstown School District Board of Education Wednesday night accepted the resignation of Knox Junior High School Principal Steven L. Drescher, effective June 30.
Following the board's meeting at Warren Street Elementary School, board President Robert Curtis and Superinten-dent Kather-ine Sullivan said Drescher gave no reason for resigning or indication of where he might be moving to.
Drescher, who didn't return a call seeking comment this morning, was hired by the district Feb. 21, 2008, to replace David Carr, who became superintendent of the Wheelerville Union Free School District. Drescher was named to the $75,000-a-year Knox post for a term that was to run until February 2010.
He was from Duanesburg, Schenectady County. He left a position with a school in Craryville, Columbia County, to come to Knox.
During the public portion of the meeting, Dick Baker of Route 67 commented that short tenures such as Drescher's are unfair to staff, parents and students of a school who get used to a principal. He said the board should in the future either look internally or more close to the area to hire an administrator, who might stay awhile.
"Here we go again," Baker said. "We're hiring someone from away ... How long are they going to stay? Obviously, these people are using [the Johnstown district] as a stepping stone."
Baker mentioned administrators such as Warren Street Elementary School Principal Anne Christiano, Johnstown High School Principal Michael Beatty and Glebe Street Elementary School Principal William Crankshaw as examples of "local people" who have stayed in their positions.
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butterflyksses
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03-06-09 6:06 PM
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I haven't had a lot of dealings w/this principal, but when I did I never had any problems with him. I talked to my child who is in Knox and they didn't have any problems with him either. I was impressed that he showed up at some of the modified sports games. This is my second child going through Knox and it was the first time I had seen a principal at a game. I do think that getting someone more local could be beneficial though. However, one of the principals mentioned by someone, I thought still doesn't have tenure and had been denied it a couple of times. I wouldn't want another situation like that.
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FactorTrees
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03-06-09 2:16 PM
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I am not saying that anyone should be taking the judgement of a 12 year old. As 12 year olds typically do not like their own parents either. However, the opinion that this man does not know how to do his job does not just come from a few parents taking the words of their children, it is coming from the students, from parents witnessing actions for themselves, from teachers, secretaries, town members. So please let us not chalk up what is happening with this man to a few disgruntled parents.
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moderation
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03-06-09 12:58 PM
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Really? You will destroy a man's reputation based on what? Rumor, supposition and innuendo is nothing to base criticism on. The notion that he was unpopular with the kids is a top-down assessment from disgruntled parents with an agenda to destroy this man. If he was a poor performer or was not up to the job, that is one thing, but ad hominem attacks that perform no usefull addition to this discussion.
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FactorTrees
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03-06-09 11:07 AM
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I think he may not only hear voices, I think he may talk back to them.
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Aclearvision
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03-05-09 6:57 PM
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I heard there were some serious issues there. I hope Johnstown is more honest when the next district calls than the last one was with us...
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Discobulous
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03-05-09 6:04 PM
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He looks like he hears voices.
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slider
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03-05-09 3:33 PM
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Sure was not popular with the kids. He would stand in the doorway in the mornings and not 1 kid would say hello to him. He also would not say hi either. Just stood there policing. From what I have heard, he was not doing a very good job, so what Factor said does make sense.
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teendude
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03-05-09 2:52 PM
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you have it disco.
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Discobulous
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03-05-09 2:25 PM
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I take that to mean he was not popular?
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teendude
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03-05-09 2:14 PM
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please please please,the teacher's are celebrating right now.
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FactorTrees
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03-05-09 12:46 PM
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Hmm...funny thing is the district wants to claim, or Drescher wants to claim that he is leaving do to distant and using Johnstown as a stepping stone. I think that is a very nice excuse, but something tells me that he is resigning before he gets axed.
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nymomma
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03-05-09 11:18 AM
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Knox*
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nymomma
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03-05-09 11:12 AM
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Well if Johnstown still plans on possibly closing one of the elementary schools why not make some talk with the principal of that one to come to Know. Then you wont have to hire another which will save money and keep someone whos been in the area and at a local school already.
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Discobulous
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03-05-09 11:05 AM
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One more reason for employing local people who care about our cities and county...
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