by Kieron Kramer
In a telephone conversation on Friday afternoon, June 18, Berlin Central School District Interim Superintendent of Schools Charlotte Gregory explained the purpose of the slate of resolutions she presented to the School Board to vote on in the Board of Education meeting on June 16. The resolutions were to be taken as a whole and were intended to meet the technical requirements for a series of reassignments throughout the School District’s administration. The first resolution, of course, was one in which Gregory’s resignation as Interim School Superintendent was accepted. The next two resolutions proposed featured Cathy Allain’s resignation as Berlin’s middle school principal so that she could assume the position of High School Principal as of July 1. Another series of resolutions in the slate of nine would result in the appointment of Eileen Leffler, Grafton’s principal, as the interim Superintendent of Schools. Since Leffler’s position as Grafton Principal is being abolished with the closing of that school, one resolution abolished her current position, the next appointed her to be the Middle School Principal followed by a resolution that would give her a leave of absence so she could serve as Interim Superintendent followed by another resolution that would appoint her Interim Superintendent. The last two resolutions in the slate were designed to grant a leave of absence to Art Teacher Jason Breh and then appoint him Acting Middle School Principal. Leffler and Breh’s appointments were to be effective as of July 1 and last until such time as the Board appoints a new Superintendent of Schools.
Although the resolution process was technical and seemed convoluted, the intent was pretty simple – to get the administrative positions in the District covered by July 1. However, there was opposition in the Board to filling positions before the new Board could have a say in the matter. The new School Board’s first meeting is on July 12. Because of the lengthy executive sessions and debate, the entire slate of resolutions was not passed. According to District Clerk Mary Grant, “The Board accepted the appointment of Eileen Leffler as the Interim Superintendent, but since a contract has to be agreed upon between the Board and Leffler, this resolution and the slate of resolutions that were presented last week will be brought up again at the meeting on June 29.” The meeting starts at 6:30 pm and will be held at the Jr./Sr. High School.
On Friday Gregory faxed the slate of resolutions to this office. The resolutions read as follows:
“RESOLVED, that the resignation of Charlotte Gregory from her position as Interim Superintendent of Schools is hereby accepted, effective June 30, 2010.
RESOLVED, that the resignation of Cathy Allain from her position as Middle School Principal (title and tenure area), effective June 30, 2010, is hereby accepted.
RESOLVED, that Cathy Allain is hereby appointed as High School Principal, (title and tenure area) with tenure, effective July 1, 2010.
RESOLVED, that the position of Principal at Grafton Elementary School, in the Elementary Principal tenure area, is hereby abolished, and Eileen Leffler, as the most junior incumbent in that tenure area, is hereby excessed, effective June 30, 2010.
RESOLVED, that Eileen Leffler is hereby appointed as Middle School Principal, (title and tenure area) with tenure, effective July 1, 2010.
RESOLVED, that Eileen Leffler is hereby granted a leave of absence as Middle School Principal, effective July 1, 2010, until such time as the Board appoints a new Superintendent of Schools.
RESOLVED, that Eileen Leffler is hereby appointed as Interim Superintendent of Schools, effective July 1, 2010, until such time as the Board appoints a new Superintendent of Schools.
RESOLVED, that Jason Breh is hereby granted a leave of absence from his position as Art Teacher, effective July 1, 2010, until such time as the Board appoints a new Superintendent of Schools.
RESOLVED, that Jason Breh is hereby appointed as Acting Middle School Principal, effective July 1, 2010, until such time as the Board appoints a new Superintendent of Schools.”
In our story published last week about the BOE meeting we inadvertently misrepresented the facts surrounding these resolutions and caused quite a bit of confusion for the District’s constituents and consternation to the parties involved. However, before the article was posted on our website, it was revised to more accurately reflect the facts of the meeting. Cathie Allain, who was described as a candidate for the Superintendent’s position, in particular was an unwitting victim. Allain, a tireless worker whose long career in education has won her many admirers, is definitely not leaving a position of leadership in the District; she would assume a different position of leadership, that of High School Principal, were the School Board to approve her appointment at its next meeting. Allain wrote in an email to this office, “I have not applied for the Superintendent’s job, nor do I plan to.” The text of the resolutions that Gregory proposed to the Board certainly bears this out. So the impression that two colleagues were both applying for the same position and one was hired over the other, that Allain was “passed over,” is false. Three committed educators were asked to step into the leadership breach until the Board of Education resolves the leadership issue on a more permanent basis.
In her phone call, Gregory, whose resignation takes effect on June 30, referred to herself as “a moving target.” It was clear from the start that she was brought into the District to make difficult, arguably highly debatable, decisions that would cause unhappiness to many constituents in the District. The closing of the Grafton School caused an acrimonious upheaval culminating in the election of two new BOE members. She is, however, somewhat upbeat about the District’s future. She said her optimism is “demonstrated by people in Grafton who are putting their shoulder to the rock for the greater good of the whole District.”