Louis Buscone Jr. Appointed High School Vice-Principal After Close School Committee Vote-September 9, 1976

Following a week-long postponement and a closed-door consultation with high school Principal John Piccirilli, the School Committee voted 4-3 to appoint 16-year veteran mathematics teacher and acting vice-principal Louis Buscone Jr. to a one-year term as high school vice-principal.

Appointment Debate and Board Divisions

Buscone, who had been serving as acting vice-principal since March following experience as an administrative assistant to the principal and head of the mathematics department, secured the post by a razor-thin one-vote margin. The appointment was intentionally restricted to a one-year term as the school board prepares to evaluate broader administrative staff reorganization.

The favorable deciding vote was cast by Richard Joseph, breaking a 3-3 tie after committee members Rudith Berkowitz, John Chisholm, and Henry W. Diggs voted in dissent. Committee member Rudith Berkowitz explained her vote after the session, noting that while she regards Buscone as a marvelous gentleman, she strongly advocated for gender diversity in administrative leadership and felt the district overlooked exceptionally qualified female candidates.

Enrollment Declines and Staffing Scrutiny

During the same meeting, official autumn enrollment figures revealed a district-wide decline of 435 pupils compared to the previous year, with most schools falling below projected figures. As of Wednesday, total enrollment stood at 2,705 elementary students and 3,373 secondary students.

The enrollment drop sparked intense questioning from committee member Richard Kief regarding how staff hiring needs were projected. While secondary staffing requirements were calculated based on student course registrations submitted in the spring, elementary staffing relied on demographic projections, leading Kief to question whether the school system was currently over-staffed given the lower actual student counts.

In other business, the board:

• Tabled a request from Junior High North principal James Savage for a sixth physical education teacher, despite Savage’s warning that the school faced a “crisis situation” without the replacement.
• Took under advisement a proposal from William R. Turner of 531 Nahatan St. mandating face masks for hockey players, directing Athletic Director Arthur M. Gulla to draft a report on equipment costs and designs.
• Appointed Paul Chambers as high school athletic trainer at a salary of $1,650 for three seasons (with Rudith Berkowitz, William Travers, and Richard Kief dissenting over hiring procedures and qualifications).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger