Please see the letter below sent from the Lower School Faculty to the Nardin Board on May 20, 2023. We support the bravery of these teachers and again ask the Nardin Board of Directors to reconsider their intention to combine the Lower and Middle Elementary Leadership. We believe that Nardin Academy, especially at this time, must prioritize what is best for the children it serves.

- Nardin Together

May 19, 2023

Nardin Academy Board of Trustees

135 Cleveland Avenue

Buffalo, NY 14222

Dear Nardin Academy Board of Trustees,

Recently, it has come to light that the Board intends to move forward with the restructuring of leadership in the Lower and Middle Schools. Reportedly, the Middle School principal (Jill Monaco) will absorb the Lower School principal’s (Monica Padmanabha) duties, thus eliminating the latter position.

We, the undersigned, represent the vast majority of the Lower School faculty. We write this open letter to the Board to indicate our strongest disapproval of said intended Kindergarten-8th grade principal model. Certainly, both current Lower and Middle School administrators are strong and capable professionals–in fact, the Lower School detailed our support of Lower School Principal, Monica Padmanabha, in a letter to the Board dated March 26, 2023, enclosed again below. We feel strongly that a K-8 principal model is regressive and will result in the devaluation of both the Lower and Middle Schools within the Academy and the potential loss of teachers and students.

We were not involved in the decision-making process surrounding this major shift involving Lower and Middle School leadership. Despite this, Tish van Dyke (the Board Chair) indicated on Thursday to a concerned parent that this restructuring has the faculty’s full support. The presumption to understand the majority opinion of faculty–in the absence of direct and transparent communication between the Board and its faculty–is concerning and demoralizing.

We urge you to seek, listen to, and acknowledge the faculty’s perspectives before finalizing this potentially catastrophic change to our beloved school.

Sincerely,

Members of the Nardin Academy Lower School (in alphabetical order)

JoAnn Balistreri-Anderson ‘89, E’85

Madeleine Burns E’06

Kristen Chambers ‘86

Diana DeMarco-Downey

Taylor DiSarno

Erin E. Egnatchik

Katie Ennis

Nicholas Hess

Anna Jones

Cory Leonard

Mary Beth Neary

Allison Robbins ‘09

Theresa Rooney

Stefanie Sacilowski