In a striking revolt against their former high school, alumni leaders of beleaguered Lafayette HS are leaning on Larry King and other celebrity graduates to pressure city education officials to oust the principal, The Post has learned.
The alumni association’s executive board charged in a recent letter to a handful of prominent alumni that the reputation of their beloved Brooklyn alma mater has suffered so gravely at the hands of Principal Jolanta Rohloff that it is on the verge of collapse.
The atmosphere at the school is so poisonous, the association contends, that for the first time in 25 years, the group has been forced to hold its monthly meetings outside the Bensonhurst building because Rohloff refuses to take calls from the organization.
Dennis Lenner, the association’s treasurer and a former Lafayette assistant principal, said the letter, which was dated Oct. 10, was sent to about a dozen well-connected alumni with the hope that they could use their influence to help drive out Rohloff.
He named Larry King, New York Met owner Fred Wilpon, financier Michael Steinhardt and sitcom creator Gary David Goldberg, of “Family Ties” and “Spin City” fame, as among the alumni who were sent the letter.
Lafayette also boasts other famous alumni, such as Dodger pitching great Sandy Koufax, former Met ace reliever John Franco and singer Vic Damone.
“We did this because our hearts are with the school,” Lenner said. “It’s nothing personal against Ms. Rohloff, but things come back to us about the school and, I got to tell you honestly, they’re all negative.”
“They can’t encourage kids to go to Lafayette,” he added. “When kids hear ‘Lafayette,’ they run the other way.”
While the letter does not specifically refer to firing Rohloff, it urges alumni to contact Schools Chancellor Joel Klein “to express your concerns about the future of our school and exhort him to do what is best for the students and the community of Lafayette High School.”
The scathing letter marks the latest in string of setbacks for Rohloff and Lafayette.
In August, she was criticized by the Education Department for changing the grades of hundreds of students whose marks she thought were too high.
In May, roughly 200 students walked out of the school in protest of her decision to paint over a mural they had created.
A department spokeswoman, speaking on behalf of Rohloff, said that the principal met with the association “several times” last school year – her first at Lafayette – and that she claimed the group has not called her this school year.
“She looks forward to working with the alumni association this year,” the spokeswoman said.
Bridget Leininger, a spokeswoman for “Larry King Live,” said the award-winning broadcaster was unaware of problems at his alma mater, but added that “his heart is with Lafayette all the time” and that he is an active alumnus.
Lenner said the letter was not sent to all of the association’s roughly 500 members because the board members believed that a group of a dozen or so influential alumni would hold more sway with education officials.