Report accuses some Fall River School Committee members of creating atmosphere of fear, behaving inappropriately

FALL RIVER ─ A critical 40-page targeted investigation and review of the Fall River School Department describe a toxic dynamic between the School Committee and the administration and staff.

None of the 40 or so “stakeholders” interviewed by Department by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are not identified by name, including the six-member School Committee, which the report was heavily focused.

Those interviewed ranged from district leadership, administration, teachers, Mayor Paul Coogan, parents, teacher union representatives and municipal elected officials

Massachusetts state law describes School Committees’ core duties are to hire, fire and evaluate a superintendent, approve budgets, and set policy.

But anecdotal allegations suggest School Committee members frequently stray from their lane of responsibility.

School staff: atmosphere of “fear”

School administrators and staff describe “aggressive and demeaning” behavior during meetings that are a “circus” by some members of the committee. School staffers also described committee members as “nasty,” and “unprofessional” in their dealings with staff and overreaching from the statutorily set responsibilities.

One school district staff member told DESE investigators they felt “beat up” after school committee meetings, and that the ongoing behaviors by school committee members has weakened leadership stability and staff retention.

Apparently, several of the respondents in the investigation used the word “fear” when describing the environment when they appear before the School Committee.

DESE also included in the study, the School Department’s leadership and the overall governing structure, and the issue of a strategic plan which the district has not completed.

Of the 14 recommendations for improvements by DESE, nine targeted the School Committee.

What prompted DESE probe

DESE taking a close look at the goings on between the School Committee and school leadership and staff was prompted by the ouster of former Superintendent Tracy Curley in February. The move was orchestrated by Vice Chairman Kevin Aguiar, who urged her termination without cause, a clause in her contract.

Mayor Paul Coogan filed a complaint with DESE in February. Rather than being fired, Curley resigned in March.

In their report, DESE notes that three newly elected members, who are Emanuel Moniz, Ana Riley and Shanell Stewart, participated in the discussions to terminate Curley.

The trio had just been sworn in a month before and with only one School Committee meeting under their belt at the time.

DESE also criticized the December annual evaluation of Curley by the committee that “showed substantial inconsistency in ratings,” and failed to follow the state education agency’s scoring rubric.

Accusations of School Committee members behaving badly

DESE heard from a number of respondents that School Committee members often overstepped their authority, communicating with district staff and principles, often sidestepping Superintendent Curley.

“Direct communications between school committee members and district staff frequently includes school committee members inserting themselves into matters outside of their legal purview,” according to the report.

Certain committee members are known to make surprise visits to district schools, and on occasion would email Curley asking for a response to complaints they saw on social media.

Some of those inquiries by individual members include requesting information regarding staff investigations, grievances and misconduct. Interviewees stated that at one point, the barrage of questions and demand for immediate responses by individual committee members prompted the creation of a spreadsheet to keep up with the inquiries.

Curley requested to the committee that she be included in any communications with her staff, but it was ignored by some members, according to the report.

Other complaints regarding unidentified School Committee members are:

· Vendors are often paid late because members were slow to sign warrants due to excessive debates about the expenses, and a failure to communicate concerns before their meetings. The report indicates the problem often costs the district for late fees.

· While statutorily the School Committee is only tasked with hiring a superintendent, they decided to hire a higher paid school adjustment counselor even though the principal of the school requested a less costly social emotional liaison.

· Members proposed to eliminate a position without consulting with school administration and wanted to create a position, other than superintendent, who would report directly to the committee.

· A committee member escorted a parent to the administration for a meeting with the superintendent.

· Multiple respondents relayed that a school committee member staged a protest outside of the school administration building, calling for the termination of multiple district staff and streamed it live online.

· One staffer reported school principals complained members would “yell at [principals], they belittle them, they don’t respect them. They kind of like, almost bully them.”

· Committee members made multiple public records requests from their own district including asking for staff text messages.

· Supervisors, attempting to spare staff from having to interact with the school board publicly, would advise them not to attend the meetings and instead volunteered to appear in their place.

The investigation also indicates that during DESE interviews, some School Committee members defended their actions, citing that expanding their roles was because of ongoing issues they deemed had not been managed properly.

For the full report, click here.