NORWICH – The four remaining members of the Norwich City School District Board of Education voted to accept one resignation and table two others, including that of the NCSD board president, which were unexpectedly put forward during Thursday night’s board meeting.
Earlier this month, board member Joseph McBride tendered a letter of resignation citing matters that required his attention away from the school board. His resignation comes after nearly two years of service.
Although McBride’s official resignation was no surprise to board members (acceptance of his resignation was on the agenda), the subsequent resignation of board Vice President Linda Horovitz and Board President Heather Fredenburg were, leaving remaining members Thomas Morrone, Luke Murphy, Perry Owen and Joseph Stagliano to regroup.
Horovitz announced her resignation first, incentivized to do so by what she said was a violation of open meeting rules and procedures during February’s school board meeting. During the February meeting, board members entered executive session which subsequently led to the contract renewal of school Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan - an action item that should have been on the agenda, she said. She also claimed that because Fredenburg was not present during February’s meeting, action should not have been taken as per school board governance laws.
“When I left the board meeting, I was not happy,” she said, adding that she was not adequately informed that the board would be voting on the contract and felt pressured to do so. She said she spoke with school attorney John P. Lynch, who advised her that the vote indeed was in violation of open government and public meeting regulations.
“I had some sleepless nights because of what happened,” she told board members. “I think there are a lot of meetings that take place between the superintendent and (individual) board members ... I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
Horovitz also went on to say she felt teachers and administration have been ignored by the board in recent months and that she, at times, has “felt bullied” by other board members. “We have awesome kids, awesome teachers, awesome administrators,” she said, “but we have issues and they are issues that need to be addressed.”
With that, Horovitz tendered a letter of resignation and left the meeting, though not before endorsing the proposed school budget, which will be voted on in May. She had served on the board for three years.
Horovitz’s’ resignation sparked discussion later on in the meeting, following a public comment session and early proposed budget presentation. Back and forth debate between board President Fredenburg and board member Stagliano ended with a sudden resignation from Fredenburg, who cited reasons that align with Horovitz.
“There are things that Linda talked about that I’m concerned about,” she said, adding that in recent months, issues have been brought before the board which she wasn’t aware of and that she too felt “bullied.”
She added, “When we’re not making decision on what’s best for kids or what’s best for the district, I don’t want to be part of it.” She left the meeting after submitting her resignation.
Fredenburg was also nearing the end of her three-year term. The terms of both Fredenburg and Horovitz were to expire in June.
The shake-up led to a reorder of board members for the remainder of the meeting. Deputy Superintendent Robert Wightman entertained a motion to make board member Perry Owen the board president for the remainder of the evening, unanimously approved by other remaining board members. The action was followed up by a motion to accept McBride’s resignation (approved unanimously) and a motion to table the resignations of Horovitz and Fredenburg, also approved unanimously.
Tabling the resignations of Horovitz and Fredenburg gives each the opportunity to rejoin the board before their terms officially end.
Said Superintendent O’Sullivan in an email statement sent to The Evening Sun, “The District thanks Dr. Horovitz and Mrs. Fredenburg for their work and contributions. It is not easy to serve on a Board of Education in these times. Dr. Horovitz and Mrs. Fredenburg had only a few more meetings before their term expired. There are always disagreements on Boards but I would note that I saw members shaking hands, even sharing hugs and thanking each other for their contributions and work. So this comes as a surprise. The Board still has work to do and continues to have a responsibility to do the required work. I expect that parents, students and staff want to make sure that work is completed for next year.”