The people of this district have been patient long enough. We have asked questions. We have attended meetings. We have voted. Yet the fundamental question remains unanswered: Where did the money go?

Taxpayers deserve transparency, not deflection. They deserve accountability, not excuses. And they deserve leadership that recognizes public trust is earned–not assumed.

If district leadership cannot provide honest answers, demonstrate responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and rebuild the confidence of the community, we must seriously consider whether new leadership is necessary to move Randolph Central School forward.

When Mr. Kelly took his post in 2017, the school had a sizable cushion to get through leaner times. Today, that cushion seems to have disappeared, yet taxpayers have received little explanation as to how those reserves were spent.

This is not about opposing funding for our children’s education. Most residents understand that quality education requires investment. What taxpayers are asking for is accountability. Was the reserve spent on visible projects like the new turf field, despite community pushback? Was it consumed by rising operational costs? Or were there other expenditures that have yet to be fully explained? These are reasonable questions, yet clear answers have remained elusive.

When citizens cannot get those answers, the ballot box becomes one of the few remaining ways to express concern. That is exactly what happened when voters rejected the proposed budget.

Rather than accepting that outcome and addressing the concerns being raised, Mr. Kelly instead directed his ire toward members of our local Amish community.

According to The Buffalo News (May 20, 2026), Mr. Kelly stated:

“They just trucked in hundreds of members of our Amish community to vote no, who also have no vested interest in the education of our kids.”

Perhaps Mr. Kelly forgot how a democracy works, but voting is their (our Amish neighbors) right as taxpaying citizens with nothing to gain. Suggesting otherwise does little to answer the financial questions residents have been asking.

Adding to taxpayers’ frustration is the fact that, just months before the budget vote, Mr. Kelly proposed a $30,000 increase to his own salary. At a time when the district was facing significant financial challenges, many residents have questioned whether requesting such a substantial raise demonstrated appropriate fiscal leadership. Should someone who is truly concerned about the current financial state of the school and quality of our students’ education propose a $30,000 raise for themselves? You be the judge of that.

Mr. Kelly is already among the highest-paid superintendents in Cattaraugus County relative to the size of his district. Approximate salary figures include:

* Allegany-Limestone — Tony Giannicchi: $188,532 (1,050-1,065 students)

* Cattaraugus-Little Valley — David Foster: $166,889 (830-865 students)

* Cuba-Rushford — Carlos Gildemeister: $210,315 (750-800 students)

* Ellicottville — Robert Miller: $139,048 (525-555 students; 2025 data)

* Franklinville — Donald Putnam: $186,940 (580-650 students)

* Gowanda — Dr. Robert Anderson: $156,481 (1,050-1,100 students)

* Hinsdale — Tiffany Giannicchi: $151,133 (350-400 students)

* Olean — Dr. Genelle Morris: $208,405 (1,930 students)

* Portville — Thomas Simon: $212,333 (1,007 students)

* Randolph Academy — Danielle Cook: $161,799 (160-200 students; 2024 data)

* Randolph Central School — Kaine Kelly: $200,288 (815-832 students)

* Salamanca — Dr. Mark Beehler: $222,646 (approximately 1,400 students)

* West Valley — Daniel Amodeo: $125,423 (200-210 students)

* Pioneer — Nicholas Silvaroli: $114,047 (2,170-2,230 students)

Now, as the district confronts its financial difficulties, the proposed solution is to freeze staff raises and reduce programs that directly benefit students. But not your raise, right, Mr. Kelly? You still want your $30,000 slice of the pie while students and staff suffer across the board. You cannot keep asking teachers to hold off on ordering supplies or to pay for them out of pocket while cushioning your own bank account with a 15% salary increase.

While Mr. Kelly should bear the brunt of the responsibility as head of the school, of course there’s plenty of blame to go around to the board members, who have been mollycoddling Mr. Kelly since the very beginning. Perhaps you should listen to your citizens rather than give in to Mr. Kelly’s every whim. After all, we will still be around long after he is not.

You cannot continue to pump from a dry well, and as a concerned citizen and tax payer I feel I speak for many by calling for Mr. Kelly’s immediate resignation as post of superintendent. It is a title he no longer deserves.

It is high time you answer for your mistakes, Mr. Kelly, and ask yourself: is this the hill you want your career to die on?

Marilyn Adams is a Randolph resident.