NORWICH – “A house that is divided on itself, can not stand,” said Don Tubbs, just one of the many speakers at Tuesday night’s Norwich Board of Education meeting.
Tubbs, a district employee, said problems related to leadership and morale – particularly in the middle school – are continuing to escalate. “Things are not getting better,” he said.
As the meeting got underway Tuesday, however, it was apparent that district problems do not lie only in one building. During public comment, teacher Bruce Race spoke about high school principal Tom Knapp, and how he has helped to improve the environment of the high school. Race said teachers and staff are wondering why Knapp has not returned from a medical absence.
“He said he would return after the Memorial Day weekend, but he has not been back,” Race said, adding, “his office has been purged of files ... and we have seen this happen before.”
Race finished his statement to the board by asking, “Where is our leader?”
This morning, Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan said he could not comment on Knapp’s employment status because it was a confidential personnel matter.
“Mr. Knapp is not available to be principal right now,” said O’Sullivan. Instead, former longtime superintendent Dr. Robert Cleveland is filling in. “Bob Cleveland is filling in on an interim basis and is doing a great job as he always does,” O’Sullivan said.
Before Knapp, former Norwich High School Principal Jack Ross was removed from his office and “reassigned” to administrative duties at the Eaton Center. He never returned to the high school, and later left the district’s employ. Knapp was tapped for the principal post from his previous job as the district’s athletics director, which also saw a revolving door of personnel over the last few years.
After discussion of Knapp’s status at last night’s board meeting with no clear answer given, the floor was open to newly-elected school board member Sally Chirlin, who addressed the climate and morale of the city schools. By the end of the evening, her statements led to a loud heated discussion among various board and audience members.
Chirlin said she ran for a seat on the board after seeing “a swift decline in school morale, in the treatment of school employees and the effect it is having on staff and therefore the students.”
As she spoke for the first time since being elected, Chirlin addressed the role administrators played when harassment complaints were filed against Middle School Principal Lisa Schuchman and the process that followed. “I cannot think of a better word to describe what I’ve seen and heard other than bullying,” said Chirlin.
She went on to say she was aware that a quality education was still being delivered in Norwich, however, she claimed the district follows the ‘elephant in the living room theory’ regarding morale, meaning, “Everyone sees it, but each pretends it’s not there.”
Chirlin said she does not understand why district employees are being “punished” – taken out of their classrooms for one reason or another and replaced by substitutes – and sent to what she called the “plaid room” at the Eaton Center, home of the district’s administrative offices, with “some of them never to be seen again,” she said. She did not elaborate on the specifics of those comments.
Near the end of Chirlin’s speech, she said, “I promise one thing: That this will change or I will know the reason why.” Chirlin said she and her husband Donald, a former Norwich teacher and school board member, were “shattered” and angered after reading testimonies written by teachers leveling accusations of misconduct against Schuchman.
Before concluding, Chirlin touched on the fact that the district has two outstanding contracts, one for the teachers and the other for the support staff, a problem she said that also needs to be addressed.
Following Chirlin’s address, new board member Joseph Stagliano moved to re-open public comment as many audience members wished to be heard.
English teacher Amy Spittler, as well as parents and other district employees, stated they felt bullied and offended by Chirlin’s words, and also questioned whether letting her husband read the teacher’s allegations was a breach in confidentiality. “I represent the other half of the people... who do not wear a blue ribbon,” said Spittler, saying that there are two sides to every story and there are many people who support Schuchman.
Later in the evening, Spittler asked board members why issues that have previously been decided upon are being re-opened for discussion. “The state dismissed the complaints. We were moving on and trying to move forward.”
Throughout the 45-minute open discussion, a number of audience members came forward to either back one side or the other. Richard Milner, a former middle school English teacher, said the only thing that truly matters is the climate and culture of the district. “If the environment is good, everything else will fall into place,” he said.
Board members briefly discussed the matter and stated that they would be addressing a variety of topics in executive session after the open portion of the meeting, but no action would be taken Tuesday on any of the issues identified in the two hour-long session.