SCHENECTADY Firms clamor to represent district School search for legal services draws plenty of interest BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
The Schenectady City School District has received a deluge of applications from law firms hoping to take over from school attorney Shari Greenleaf. Nine firms have offered to handle the district’s legal needs. They have offered such a variety of packages that school offi cials have had to delay their planned announcement of a new legal team. In paperwork given to each fi rm, the district said it would evaluate offers and then interview the top firms in February. The chosen firm would then work with Greenleaf on a transition plan this spring, according to the paperwork, which was written with the indication that a fi rm would be chosen over a single attorney. But with so many firms in the running, district spokeswoman Karen Corona said, school offi cials will need more time to review the applications. “They’re just beginning the process,” she said. The school board and district administrators must come up with a way to evaluate the different offerings before they can even determine whether it will be cheaper to have a firm rather than one attorney, she said. Greenleaf is now paid $117,000, with an additional $39,000 in benefi ts. If a firm is more expensive, the board could decide it’s still worth it because the firm could offer experts on a variety of issues, which one attorney can’t match. Superintendent John Yagielski told the board last year that the depth of expertise should be a major reason for considering a law fi rm. There are two main savings from hiring a law firm: the district pays no benefits, and it usually gets unlimited attorney service for a fl at fee. .................>>>>.......................>>>>.................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01101&AppName=1
Liked how the Gazetto failed to mention that the School Attorney has one of those iron-clad contracts for 5+ years. Why would the district want to buy her out now?? The district can't even afford the $7 million dollar deficit, but they're going to buy out the attorney for probably 1/2 a million? Nice to see they have their priorities straight...sounds like the same system Ely ran.
It is the same school system Ely ran into the dirt. How many administrators have been fired? ZERO! Then the latest moronic idea from Diane Herman. She actually wants to pay moving expenses for teachers to relocate into the City. Take it out of reserves like Ron Lindsay advised?
They are delusional. There is a $10 MILLION hole in the budget and they keep coming up with spending ideas. Not surprised many law firms want to work for this district. Plenty of work to cut your teeth on.
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It is the same school system Ely ran into the dirt. How many administrators have been fired? ZERO! Then the latest moronic idea from Diane Herman. She actually wants to pay moving expenses for teachers to relocate into the City. Take it out of reserves like Ron Lindsay advised? 
