Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media parents, students, alumni and staff turned out for a public meeting March 28, to demand answers from the Cairo-Durham school board about Superintendent Anthony Taibi’s sudden departure. The board earlier that same day announced Taibi's last day with the district would be Fri., March 29. Taibi was an employee of the district for 12 years; first as the high school principal and then as superintendent. He was appointed to a three-year term as superintendent in 2015, and in October 2016, signed on to an extension of his contract, through June 30, 2020. Effective July 1, 2018, he received an annual salary of just under $150,800. Taibi is leaving the district to become the chief academic officer with Questar III BOCES; Douglas Kelley has been named interim superintendent. In addressing the crowd at the meeting, Taibbi said the decision to leave was his alone, and that he was motivated to do "what is best for my family and myself...I was not forced out," he said. Asked by a Round Top resident if he was leaving because the district was not going to renew his contract, Taibi declined to answer. Board of Education President Stephen Brandow said, “His contract wasn’t up for a year and a half.” According to that contract, the board was obligated to notify Taibi before June 30 of this year if it planned to keep him in the district's top spot. In a related matter, attendees also objected to the recent removal of teacher Lori Miner as faculty advisor to the National Honor Society, a position she has held for 21 years. None of the board members offered an explanation for Miner's removal. All Brandow said was that the board acts on the recommendation of the superintendent and Taibi concurred. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.