$640,000 Leadership Shakeup: Fall River Pays the Price for Ousting Superintendent Curley

The successful ousting of Tracy Curley by a majority of the School Committee in March was a costly move for the City of Fall River. Between a superintendent payout agreement, hiring an interim replacement and the sudden creation of a pricey deputy superintendent’s position, the shake-up will cost taxpayers $640,000.

Curley’s separation agreement

At the time of her resignation, Curley earned an annual salary of $222,000.

On March 11, after a closed-door special meeting, Curley agreed to resign from the position she had held since June 2024 after mounting pressure since February including a motion brought by Vice Chairman Kevin Aguiar to consider firing her without cause. 

This was despite Curley getting public support from parents, educators and the teachers’ union.

Curley was an educator in the city school district since 2009, and her three-year contract was until June 2027.

As part of the separation agreement, Curley got a lump sum of $200,000 plus another $15,000 in unpaid vacation and sick pay.

The agreement also included that the School Department would continue its contribution to Curley’s health insurance until June 30.

In exchange, Curley agreed to a “global release of all claims,” meaning she cannot take any future legal action against the School Department nor the School Committee.

The situation between Curley and the School Committee caught the attention Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) after Mayor Paul Coogan, who chairs the School Committee, wrote a letter to the state education department on Feb. 17. 

It was a week after Aguiar proposed a review of Curley’s contract and specifically the clause that allowed the School Committee to terminate without cause.

DESE agreed to a review and has reportedly interviewed multiple elected officials, although a report has not been released.

Curley was quickly replaced after a brief search by a committee headed up by School Committee member Ana Riley.

On April 1 and 20 days after Curley resigned, the School Committee approved the appointment of veteran superintendent Dr. Kathleen Smith, on an interim basis as they search for a new superintendent.

Smith’s salary, according to her contract obtained through a public records request, is an annual salary of $225,000.

At the same meeting, the Committee approved the appointment of Elizabeth Legault as deputy superintendent, a position that did not exist until the April 1 School Committee vote.

According to Legault’s contract, also obtained from an open records request, she will earn an annual salary of $200,000. Legault, as well as Riley, was a finalist in the last superintendent search when Curley was selected.

 A second-in-command position created with no job description

It’s unclear what exactly the new deputy superintendent’s role will be in the School Department’s administrative hierarchy in a school district that has three assistant superintendents with a combined salary of over $455,000.

On May 7, the Fall River Reporter submitted as part of its public records request the description of the duties and responsibilities of the new deputy superintendent’s position.

After the School Department missed the public records request deadline, several follow-up requests by a reporter, a one-line explanation was emailed from a School Committee clerk on Wednesday. 

The message indicated no job description was created before the position was filled.

“The Committee just voted on the position of a Deputy Superintendent. The district is currently working to finalize the deputy superintendent’s job description and having it approved by the School Committee in June.”

Unlike Smith’s contract, which gives eighteen separate descriptions of her duties and responsibilities, Legault’s contract gives no such descriptions.

Committee approves salary increases for key openings

The School Department’s website gives a vague explanation of the job of the deputy superintendent.

“The Interim Deputy Superintendent is a newly established role designed to strengthen district leadership and support key operational areas. In this role, Elizabeth Legault oversees the Human Resources Department and helps advance districtwide initiatives.”

The school district has been working without a human resources director since January for its nearly 2,000 School Department employees. The district will soon be losing its long-time Chief Financial Officer Kevin Almeida in July.

During the May 6 School Committee meeting, Smith addressed the search to fill the two key district positions.

The School Committee voted unanimously to amend the salary range for both positions at $160,000 to $200,000.

Almeida, who has worked for the school district since 2010 and previously served as the city’s auditor, currently earns $176,500.

According to the School Department’s proposed 2027 budget, the salary for a human resource director lists a $140,000 annual salary.