OR board chair refuses students' request to not attend graduation

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Thursday, May 26, 2011

DURHAM — During an Oyster River Cooperative School Board meeting, Chairman Henry Brackett said he will not follow the request of the senior class to not participate in graduation, while the superintendent suggested hiring an interim principal for one year.

Community members continued to speak out against the actions the School Board has taken during its current high school principal search process. At Wednesday night's meeting, many staff members stood up to address where the current search will leave them.

Long time Oyster River teacher Lou Mroz said he is concerned where the district is headed and that the district is being portrayed publicly in a negative light due to School Board decisions. He also said the school needs a principal to keep the students and faculty happy and provide a strong learning environment.

"One of the things a principal does is create a positive environment," he said.

Durham resident Deborah Alberts praised Oyster River for doing an excellent job educating students. However, she said she is worried the School Board has deviated from policies and are not allowing the superintendent to run the hiring process of the new high school principal.

Others at the meeting said they were concerned the timeline of the search is too short. Some suggested since current principal Laura Rogers will be gone at the end of the school year, there will be no one to direct the school in the early weeks before school begins for the 2011-12 school year.

Later in the meeting, Superintendent Howard Colter suggested to the School Board to hire an interim principal.

"I think going forward in the search right now is wrong minded," he said, adding it does not seem to be the ideal time to perform a search.

Hiring now would not allow a new hire to give ample notice to their own district and current salary requirements are not competitive with the rest of New England. Currently the district would offer a salary between $95,000 and $101,000, Colter said. Also, the district has said it would request a one-year contract, and New England School Development Council (NESDEC) officials said most districts offer multiyear contracts.

Member James Kach said after hearing community comments in favor of a permanent principal, he did not feel having an interim principal would be a good idea.

An initial motion for Colter to hire an interim principal failed with a tied vote: members Ann Wright, Megan Turnbull and Krista Butts in favor and James Kach, Henry Brackett and Ann Lane opposed.

Member Jocelyn O'Quinn was not present at Wednesday night's meeting.

A second motion to authorize Colter to look for an interim principal candidate and authorize to work with NESDEC to continue the high school principal search was approved on a 4-2 vote, with Wright and Turnbull opposed.

The School Board also authorized Brackett to sign a contract with NESDEC to begin the second high school principal search on a vote of 5-1, with Wright opposed. The district has set aside $15,000 to put toward the high school principal search and for the new superintendent when Colter leaves next year.

Also at the meeting, discussion about members of the senior class having sent an e-mail to the School Board saying the current relationship between the students and the Board has led many to not want the School Board to participate as it traditionally does by handing out diplomas came up in discussion.

Brackett said the letter was a "slap in the face."

"I have a real problem with it," he said. "Students are suggesting they run a ceremony for graduation. I suggest the school administration, Howard (Colter), and the principal — and the Board — run the ceremony."

Brackett continued to say students were not following tradition — the School Board chair has traditionally signed the diplomas and handed them to graduating seniors.

"I will be passing out diplomas on stage," he said.

Before members said it was not an agenda item to discuss, co-Chair Ann Wright reminded Brackett he does not speak for the entire board.

Student representatives, High School Principal Laura Rogers and School Board representatives will be meeting this morning to discuss the issue.

Also during the meeting, Colter suggested the Board was having excessively long meetings more frequently.

"We've had meetings go until near 11 or past 11," he said. "I'm concerned about that."

Colter suggested the board might reconsider how they run meetings and look at how the lengthy meetings might be affecting decisions.

"Obviously we're tired and hungry and not doing our best thinking," he said. "At the end of the meeting there are many important items on the agenda."

He said board members may be tired and hungry by the end of the night and could be affecting important decisions the board needs to make. He also said by having such long meetings, it could adversely affect potential School Board candidates from applying if they believe the time commitment is to lengthy.

"It's hard to be motivated," he said of the potential candidates.

Worries about employees who come to these meetings and have to be ready to work the next morning also came up.

Colter suggested to help the issues, the board could consider having a limited agenda, being well-prepared for meetings and committing to meetings that are shorter, such as two hours.