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Restoring Trust in Grand Island Schools: Time for Real Transparency - May 2026
As Grand Island residents and school board candidates, we believe our schools must improve transparency, rigorous financial oversight, and public trust. The recent capital project referendum was defeated by more than 75% of voters — a clear signal that residents lack confidence in how major financial decisions are made. The 2021 New York State Comptroller audit flagged insufficient transparency, missing budget-to-actual reporting, and no multiyear financial plan. These concerns were not appropriately addressed, as evidenced by the public’s loss of confidence. Stronger independent oversight and open communication are now urgently needed.We support regular year-round budget workshops, detailed line-by-line spending reviews, clearer reserve reporting, and easier public access to financial information. Important discussions should occur openly throughout the year, not just before votes. Every contract, staffing proposal, major expense, and budget transfer deserves thorough public scrutiny. We must also focus resources on what benefits students most: vocational opportunities, academic excellence, and career preparation.
Above all, we need real accountability to restore trust between the district and community. Please vote on May 19 between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. at Grand Island High School. Call and text your family and friends and ask them to vote too — with a low turnout this election will likely be decided by a handful of votes. Please Support Jim Mulcahy and Mike Madigan for Board of Education.
Mike Madigan and Jim Mulcahy
School Board Vote - May 2026
To the Residents of Grand Island, Serving on the Grand Island School Board gave me firsthand insight into how decisions are made within our schools and local government. I ran to serve families, protect taxpayers, and demand transparency and accountability. What I witnessed was deeply concerning. Too often, important decisions appeared influenced by political relationships, insider alliances, and pressure behind the scenes rather than open discussion and what is best for students and residents. Open, transparent discussion was strongly discouraged, and critical information the public deserved to know was too often withheld. Independent voices and difficult questions were not welcomed.One major concern is the growing appearance of conflicts of interest and insider influence within local leadership. Family relationships between town and school leadership should never impact decisions or create the perception that accountability and independence are compromised. Residents deserve confidence that decisions are being made openly, fairly, and in the best interests of the community.
I also saw leadership prioritize protecting the system and avoiding controversy over standing up for students, families, and taxpayers. Grand Island schools need a serious review of spending, administrative overhead, and budget priorities. Taxpayer dollars should be focused on delivering the highest quality education possible while reducing waste and unnecessary costs. Grand Island deserves independent leaders who will ask hard questions, restore transparency, improve fiscal responsibility, and put students and taxpayers first. That is why I strongly urge residents to support Mike Madigan and Jim Mulcahy for School Board.
Sincerely,
Sherry Steffan
School Board Vote - May 2026
On May 19 the voters of Grand Island, like voters across New York State, will head to the polls to vote on the local school budget and for school board trustees. Politics today are fraught with anxiousness and agitation as the divisiveness that permeates our society seeps into every level of discourse, and school-related issues are no exception. But I’m asking the residents of Grand Island to rise above the rancor that accompanies most political contests today, and instead to put all kids first.The Grand Island Teachers' Association has a long history of endorsing candidates for school board trustee who express a willingness to prioritize the well-being of our students and our schools above everything else. We do our best to stay out of partisan politics at every level, and we seek to promote candidates who can focus on implementing sound policies that will move the school district forward to meet the many challenges of today’s world. This year we are endorsing Susan Marston and Liz Goss for school board trustee, and I ask for your support for these two candidates.
Our present school board faced a difficult task in crafting a budget for the 2026-2027 school year amid many challenging factors. They made the difficult decision to eliminate eight teacher positions to help deliver a budget with a tax increase well below the allowable maximum. Of course, I want as many teachers in the classroom as possible, because nothing has as much impact on the children’s education as the teacher in the classroom. However, the cuts made by the current school board put the district on sound financial footing to navigate the upcoming school year in a fiscally responsible manner.
The GITA is a member of NYSUT, the New York State United Teachers. One of NYSUT’s mottos is “Public Schools Unite Us”. In the last few days of the campaign, you are likely to hear negative comments about the schools, teachers, administration and some of the candidates. This is, unfortunately, the playbook of many of today’s politicians. I ask you to keep your focus on the challenges that face us, and on the need to prepare our students for the changing world they will inherit. We can’t be distracted by today’s culture wars and imaginary grievances when real work needs to be done to produce real results for those who really matter: the kids. Our public schools truly unite us; please join us in electing the right people for the job, the people who will sincerely put all kids first - vote “yes” on the budget and vote for Susan Marston and Liz Goss.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Grosso - President, Grand Island Teachers' Association
Comments on the survey from Superintendent Graham - February 2026
By now, I assume all residents of Grand Island received the survey from the School District about how and why you voted the way you did on their failed capital project. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU REPLY OR OTHERWISE RESPOND TO THIS SURVEY.There are a number of troubling aspects of this survey. It is clear the District refuses to accept the fact that the voters viewed the project as a colossal waste of money. When a project loses with 75.27% voting no and only 24.73% voting yes, with one of the largest turnouts for a School District vote ever, it should be obvious that the public was adamantly opposed to it. However, it appears they hope to be able to resubmit the same wasteful project for a revote. One may also ask where they got the funds to send out this survey. I’d be shocked if its all-in cost was less than $5,000. Such spending appears not only fiscally irresponsible but ethically suspect, as it subsidizes efforts to undermine a democratic outcome rather than respect it, This is a gross misuse of taxpayer money.
Requiring respondents to provide their email address as a mandatory field in the post-election survey, while simultaneously asking them to explain why they voted yes or no, creates an explicit, direct linkage between each voter’s personal identity and their precise voting choice—effectively stripping away the anonymity that New York Election Law fiercely protects for ballot secrecy. In a small, tight-knit community like Grand Island, where school officials, staff, and residents frequently interact through schools, sports, events, or local networks, this traceable data allows authorities to easily identify every “no” voter by name, email, and stated reason. Far from a neutral feedback exercise, this setup enables precise profiling of dissenters, opening the door to targeted intimidation tactics—such as selective follow-up emails, resource favoritism toward “yes” supporters, exclusion from district opportunities, or informal community pressure—that could punish opposition and deter residents from ever voting against district proposals again, eroding trust in school governance.
When I got involved in School District actions in the early 2000s about the 1999 capital project (nothing much has changed, btw) I would receive anonymous letters/parcels in the mail containing information of the goings on by the administration and Board. When I mentioned this to a friend, I was told that these folks were afraid of retribution. Since I didn’t have any children or grandchildren enrolled, I was pretty much untouchable, although the Board and administration did spread baldfaced lies about me. So, the chilling effect, as it was expressed in the previous paragraph, isn’t a conspiracy theory.
Where does this leave us? In my opinion there needs to be a serious housecleaning of the administration and the Board. The superintendent, by sending out this survey, has made his continuing presence untenable. If he was at all decent, he would resign, immediately. There are two Board seats open at this Spring’s election in May. The incumbents must be replaced. We spend too much money for it to be wasted the way the District is currently doing.
James Mulcahy
