Tuesday’s Oswego Board of Education meeting was filled with numerous recognitions as this was outgoing board members Maggie Tiballi and Sally Nettles and Superintendent of schools David Fischer’s last meeting. Before the recognition of service to the district could commence, the meeting was clouded by words of recently laid off district employee.

Tom Marshall has been the district’s electrician for the past 17 years. He said he received a notice Tuesday that his job was abolished at the April 22 board meeting. Marshall noted he has been out of work for the past eight weeks because of a knee injury, which included the April 22 meeting.

“Somehow ethically that doesn’t feel right to me,” Marshall said. “I’m doing work for you guys, I get hurt on this job, I’m doing better and somehow you guys are voting my job out. It’s not right.”

As recently as Friday night Marshall said he was called to Riley Elementary to shut down equipment due to storm damage and then he was called to take a care a fire in the Ralph Faust Theater in the high school. “I feel like I’m a pretty needed person in this district,” Marshall said, noting he is the only certified electrician in the district.

His duties have included handling of the district’s light safety systems, including the fire alarms and generators. “I’m pretty proud of the fact that when I came to the schools the district did not have an electrician and the district was a pretty sorry place electrically, it was not safe as it is now. I feel pretty good about that,” Marshall said.

The electrician said he was shocked about his two week notice which terminates his job July 1. “I don’t think it’s right, I think you guys should do something about it,” Marshall said to the board Tuesday evening.

The first honors given during the meeting were granted to two district students. Matthew Wiltsie was recognized for being selected for the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security in Washington, DC.

Gabby Rumrill, who has served as the student representative for the board of education for the past three years, was also honored and presented with a gift. “As a student representative you have served the students’ interest and needs and you have provided the board with unique insight,” Fischer said.

Rumrill also spoke after her recognition, thanking the school district, Fischer and District Clerk Bill Foley for the opportunity to serve on the board. “This opportunity has been a chance to listen and learn and I hope to inspire others to get involved,” she said, noting she was able to see first hand how the district operates.

The student representative said that even though at times some board meetings were “more colorful and heated than others” she realizes that every adult there had one same goal in mind, to better the school district and the community. Rumrill will be attending Syracuse University in the fall for law and Spanish and said she hopes to return to Oswego one day to give back to her community.

Darren Otis, a member of the board directors for the Central New York School Boards Association, was also in attendance at Tuesday night’s meeting. He was there to recognize Tiballi and Nettles for their years of service on the school board and to the community. “Like them (Tiballi and Nettles)…we are all volunteers and we’re trying to do what’s right for our little corner of the world,” Otis said.

During the superintendent’s report, Fischer told the audience it had been an honor and a privilege to serve as superintendent for the district. “I believe there are many sources of great pride in the Oswego City School District,” Fischer said. “I do believe overall we have a very talented teaching staff. I do believe we have a very dedicated support staff. I do believe we have a highly capable, competent, conscientious and caring leadership team.”

Fischer also said he wanted to thank the numerous passionate parents who stepped up to the microphone on a consistent basis “because they truly care about what happens in this district.” He noted that he did not see their passion as something negative. “They’re trying to get our attention because they love their children, they love their schools and they want the very best for their children,” he said.  

Tiballi, who has served on the school board for the past six years, spoke at the end of her last meeting. “I was incredibly naive when I got on the board. I really thought that if you work hard enough…that people will listen,” she said, noting that she told new board members Sam Tripp and John Dunsmoor that this does not mean they should not try and encouraged them to speak up.

“It is okay to disagree but be careful about how you go about disagreeing because working together, you can accomplish a hell of a lot more than you can accomplish when you’re at odds with each other,” she said.

The next board of education meeting will be held July 1 tentatively in the Ralph Faust Theater at the high school.