Dear Region One Report,
What has to happen to start negotiating the superintendent and the deputy superintendent’s departure? Dispassionately, it appears that the time has come to close the show, given that the only explicable rationale behind the budget defeats, lawsuits and dysfunction is the taxpaying public’s dissatisfaction with these administrators — and the board’s, kindly, inability to listen, due in no small measure to the fact that the superintendent controls the largest voting bloc.
I am afraid that the house cleaning has to go much further than just the super and assist super, the whole atmosphere will not change unless all are gone. The dir.spec ed, high school principal, assist principal, quite a few department chairs and golden boy business manager who would never pass up a perk.
Marilyn Yerks of Sharon made an attempt to begin this discussion at the only meeting the Board had between the third and fourth referendum’s failure. With the exception of Canaan’s (Falls Village) representative the remaining members of the Board refused to even consider it. The superintendent insinuated that she and the assistant superintendent were being targeted since there was no mention of a similar plan for the Business Manager. Additionally, the North Canaan representative actually said that she thought such an offer would not be allowed by their (superintendent and her assistant) contracts. I guess the superintendent and maybe the assistant superintendent, although she didn’t speak to the idea, missed the plethora of dissatisfaction with the educational leadership of the district and failed to realize that it would be unlikely that the Business Manager would be made the same offer as there was no dissatisfaction with his job performance and further his background is not in educational leadership, but in business and finance. As for the comment of the North Canaan representative, that was utter nonsense. Either party in a contractual relationship can make such a request and proceed with negotiating so long as both agree to do so. I suspect the only way that the majority of the Board would consider such a move would if there was an indication from one or both parties that they would be willing to negotiate such a “deal”. Who knows, if the superintendent becomes concerned about the outcome of the suit against her maybe that would be a factor in her considering such a move. Maybe the same would hold true for her assistant if it began looking like her suit against a Board member was going to be deemed frivolous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMdn_mL75UY
Anonymous vote?