Band director resigns position

The board rejected a proposed teacher contract for the third time.
BROOKFIELD -- The board of education accepted the resignation Saturday of its middle school band director, who was accused of locking a pupil in a closet Wednesday.
The resignation of the band director, Rocco Criazzo, is effective at the end of this school year, but Criazzo will not be returning to the classroom for the rest of the school year because he will take accumulated personal time off.
If the board had had to make a decision concerning nonrenewal of Criazzo's contract, Monday would have been the deadline for such action, said Ronald Brennan, a school board member.
Brennan said he did not know what prompted Criazzo to lock the pupil in the walk-in equipment closet for 20 minutes. Criazzo declined to comment Saturday night.
In other business during the 90-minute meeting at the high school, Brennan made an unsuccessful motion to ratify a proposed three-year contract with the Brookfield Federation of Teachers. The union represents the district's teachers.
The proposed contract would have been retroactive to last July 1, when the previous contract expired.
Third rejection
That proposed contract, which was ratified earlier this month by the teachers, was voted down by the board for the third time Saturday. It would have given the teachers a wage freeze in the first year and raises of 1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, in the second and third years.
Voting in favor of the contract were Brennan and board member Rhonda Bonekovic.
Voting against were board president Joseph Pasquerilla, vice president Steve Varga and member Dean Fisher.
No new negotiations have been scheduled between the board and the teachers.
The district is in fiscal watch, and the state could put it in fiscal emergency if it develops a deficit.