Preschool Staff Is Upset Over A Founder's Firing

One of the founders of the Child Development Center of the Hamptons Preschool was fired last week, raising concerns among staff members and parents about what the school's future will be.

Stephen Sicilian was one of four people who drafted the charter for the school, which was started in 1996 to serve children with disabilities and today serves about 120 preschoolers with or without special needs. Dr. Sicilian, who put up his house as collateral to help build the facility, was told on Oct. 3 that his job was being terminated.

Tomorrow will be his last day. Known as Dr. Steve at the school, Dr. Sicilian was the chief financial officer, chief operating officer, and a clinical psychologist there.

Donna Colonna, the executive director of Services for the Underserved, a Manhattan-based company that has run the Child Development Center of the Hamptons Preschool and the C.D.C.H. Charter School in Wainscott since August, said Mr. Sicilian's administrative duties replicated those that Services for the Underserved was taking over, and thus he was no longer needed.

"The bulk of Steve's job was financial, but we are bringing our expertise to help build more services. Under this reorganization that role of C.F.O. did not exist," said Ms. Colonna. "There weren't many children that he was actually seeing for counseling."

Dr. Sicilian saw students for counseling on Tuesdays and Thursdays and sometimes on Fridays, according to Jeanette Krempler, a senior educational administrative assistant at the preschool. He was the director of the child development center at Mount Sinai Hospital before he moved to East Hampton to help found the school. He would not comment on his termination when reached by phone yesterday.

Ms. Colonna said that the "reorganization" of the organization had been planned since Services for the Underserved was brought in to run the schools - the preschool and the charter school - so they would be more cost efficient. Changes included bringing many of the operational services under the auspices of the Manhattan company, which has a large administrative team.

Services for the Underserved helps educate about 2,500 people with special needs, mostly in New York City, every day, Ms. Colonna said. The elimination of Dr. Sicilian's job, she continued, was a part of the original plan. "The nuts and bolts doesn't necessarily hit home until it happens," she said.

If Dr. Sicilian's termination was part of the plan, the staff at the preschool was not apprised of it, teachers said. "They told us that nothing was going to change, but our whole world has changed," said Ali Adlah, an occupational therapist at the school for five years.

"We feel powerless, we feel like we can't do anything. There's nobody on the other side responding to our concerns."

Ms. Colonna said that she had not had "a closed door" when staff members expressed their concerns, but staff members said otherwise. After announcing on Oct. 3 that Dr. Sicilian would not be at the school, neither Ms. Colonna nor Louis Cavalieri, the associate executive director, responded to requests from teachers at the school to answer questions, staff members said.

"The staff had more concerns," said Paige Clark, a speech therapist. "We didn't want to hear what Louis had to say, we wanted him to hear what we had to say."

Mr. Cavalieri visited the preschool on Tuesday from 11 to 11:20 a.m., Ms. Clark said, but would not talk to the teachers. "He said that he was not going to do that."

Services for the Underserved took over the operation of C.D.C.H. in August when Dawn Zimmerman Hummel, a founder and the former executive director, moved to San Diego. Ms. Zimmerman Hummel had worked with Ms. Colonna on the application for the charter school in 2000. Ms. Zimmerman Hummel still sits on C.D.C.H.'s board, and Ms. Colonna said she had approved the firing of Dr. Sicilian.

Kelly Quartuccio, the lead teacher at the preschool and another one of the original four founders - the fourth was Florence Kelson - said that she and Dr. Sicilian were upset that they were passed over for the opportunity to run the preschool.

Several staff members said that they were preparing their rŽsumŽs and starting to look for new jobs. "I have three T.A.s who have sent their rŽsumŽs to Amagansett and Springs schools," said Ms. Krempler, who added that she was considering doing the same thing.

Ms. Quartuccio stepped down from her position as educational director last year to concentrate on classroom teaching, and said she is thinking that she too may leave the school she helped found.

"I'm very upset; my partner of 11, 12, 13 years is now going. My heart is torn because I love this school," she said.

"We're ready to stage a walkout," said Mr. Adlah.

Ms. Quartuccio said Ms. Zimmerman Hummel told her that she had chosen S.U.S. to run the school to "make sure that the schools are secure."

Under S.U.S.'s leadership the preschool has been developing plans for a new building on the charter school campus on Stephen Hand's Path. The preschool now operates at Most Holy Trinity Church in East Hampton. Ms. Colonna said that S.U.S. has been providing staff development.

But Mr. Adlah said that staff development is a euphemism for training teacher's aides to take over the responsibilities of the therapists and other specialists at the school.

"S.U.S. wants to eliminate the service staff altogether," he said. "They don't want to pay their salaries, so they're doing this extensive training. Why have a therapist when you can have a teacher's aide and pay them a fraction of their salary?"

Mr. Adlah also said he is looking into jobs elsewhere.

Ms. Krempler said parents are thinking of pulling their children from the school.

"The children are very upset. We had a couple of kids go to Dr. Steve, asking him why are you leaving," said Ms. Quartuccio.

Ms. Colonna said there will be a meeting for parents on Tuesday to discuss the future of the preschool.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sicilian said he was going to take some time off. "I'm considering a private practice. There aren't many child psychologists out here," he said.