Marblehead Charter School gets some advice

MARBLEHEAD – Associate Commissioner of Education Jeff Wulfson told the charter school trustees to hire a permanent head of school, keep a watchful eye on their cash flow and rebuild the trust they have lost in their community.Invited by the board of the Marblehead Community Charter Public School, Wulfson said that once a new commissioner of education is appointed he expects a “top-to-bottom review of state policy on charter schools.” In response to specific questions of how that review may be influenced by Marblehead’s troubles over the past six months, he said the Department of Education doesn’t respond to specific incidents when it develops policy.That said, he told the board the board took a “misstep” when it appointed too many faculty members to the board, because they had a financial interest in the school.Former Head of School Thomas Commeret’s troubles began when a split developed over his contract. He is on administrative leave with pay for the remaining two years of his contract and is awaiting trial Oct. 1 in Lynn District Court, on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, allegedly pushing a female student into a door during an April 11 incident in his office.The board circulated an exit interview to 70 departing parents in Grades 4-7 July 3 and received 29 responses, citing school governance, the handling of Commeret’s contract and “generally unhappy” as primary reasons.Asked about the board’s actions toward Commeret, who attended last night’s board meeting, Wulfson said the board’s decision to allow him to continue his duties from home and the decision to extend his contract were not decisions he would have made.He did support the board’s decision to place Commeret on leave for the rest of his contract and called the pay issue “terribly complex.”Later in their meeting board members discussed the impact of this fall’s low enrollment on their $500,000 surplus. So far the school has attracted 195 of the 230 students they had last year, a shortfall of $10,000 per student or $350,000. The school will continue to recruit students to make up the difference.As a way of building trust Clerk John McEnaney proposed creation of a Community Relations Committee to report on school matters to school parents and the communities they come from.Board members also discussed contracts proposing a possible $30,000 salary for Interim Academic Director Nina Cullen-Hamzeh, who receives $65,000 as assistant head of school, and $50 per hour, with a maximum of 20 hours a week, for Interim Managing Director Albert Argenziano. Both were put on hold until next month.