MARBLEHEAD — Dozens watched on Thursday night at Marblehead High School as former School Committee Chair Amy Drinker presented a petition directly to the School Committee, which has garnered more than 750 signatures online and demands that the committee take the initiative to fix its missteps.
Drinker submitted the documents to be entered into the public record for the committee’s meeting.
“The signers of the letter and petition represent a wide range of townspeople, including many who have histories of collaborative engagement in our schools, our town government, and our community,” Drinker said. “It’s not about how or whether the signers voted in local elections. It’s about how you perform as the elected or appointed School Committee members.”
In a letter to the editor last week, the petition stated that it gave the committee a “failing grade” in four categories: reviewing and approving the school budget, setting policy, hiring, firing and managing the superintendent, and leadership conduct.
“The message is a call to action to demonstrate how you’ll tackle issues to improve our schools,” Drinker continued at the meeting. “I hope that tonight’s meeting includes substantive discussion regarding the concern voiced in the letter and petition.”
The petition, as of 6:07 p.m. Thursday, had 767 signatures online. Those who have signed on include a former superintendent and school committee members, former town officials, and business owners.
Committee Chair Sarah Fox addressed the letter, calling it “very powerful.”
“Immediately upon receiving it, all members took it seriously,” Fox said.
She added that as a result of the letter, the committee participated in a training Wednesday night through the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), which focused on districts in transition and beneficial practices for dealing with those transitions.
In a memorandum sent after the meeting, MASC Executive Director Glenn Koocher suggested that the committee look for a long-term interim superintendent who would be able to serve through the academic year 2025 and potentially 2026.
“We are two-thirds into the academic year, and most of the searches for superintendencies are either concluded or nearing conclusion. You are fortunate to have your current interim superintendent through the rest of the year to try to bring stability,” the memorandum said.
Member Alison Taylor stated that she does not believe the committee is at fault for any of the controversies that have clouded the district in recent months.
“We have people here that really do care. That seems to be lost on a lot of people lately, and I think that’s unfortunate,” Taylor said. “I don’t disagree with the chaos, I don’t disagree that we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I don’t think it is the people sitting at this table who are at fault for that chaos.”
The letter details specific instances where community members believe the committee has faltered, including diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to severance packages, legal fees, and administrator searches, while the district has been forced to make millions of dollars in staffing cuts due to budget deficits.
The letter also questions the committee’s decision to hold onto the Coffin School property instead of turning it over to the town to generate revenue, in addition to why a search for a permanent superintendent was not started immediately after John Buckey’s resignation in July.
Under Leadership Conduct, the letter cites “unbecoming behavior, distrust, unlawful noncompliance, lack of transparency,” and even “bullying tactics” as reasons for its failing grade under that category.
“The clock’s ticking. We’re calling on you to demonstrate to all Marbleheaders how you’ll tackle these issues and improve your performance,” the letter concludes.
Also at the meeting, League of Women Voters member Nancy Powell suggested that the School Committee hold a public forum detailing its recent decisions as soon as possible to begin to rebuild trust and provide transparency to the community.
The Committee seemed to be in agreement about accepting Powell’s proposal. Fox said that she would work with the league to schedule a date for the forum.
