An ad hoc group of about 20 Valley Central School District residents gathered under the pavilion at Montgomery’s Veteran’s Memorial Park on Monday with a single purpose: find a way to get rid of Valley Central’s top administrators.

“Here’s the deal,” said John DiStabile who organized the meeting. “We’ve got to do what’s right for our kids.”

He said the group was seeking the removal of top administrators in the district – specifically Superintendent John Xanthis and Marianne Serratore, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. The former is targeted by the group for his response to the June 4 emailed threat to the Montgomery Elementary School. The latter has been criticized by supporters of Tammy Coleman, the district’s director of its Universal Pre-K program who they believe is being unfairly terminated.

Don Berger, co-chair of Presidents Protecting Montgomery urged that the group petition the Valley Central Board of Education for a vote of “No-confidence” in Xanthis and Serratore.

The group will meet again next Monday, June 27 at 6 p.m. at the pavilion. They plan a discussion on how to submit Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and to seek the support of the Valley Central Teachers Association and the Valley Central Administrators Association.