Receiver needs to meet with school community

T

he first day for students of the Winchester School District was on Thursday, Aug. 27. Considering all of the turmoil in the district over the past few months, it could be considered a wonder — possibly a miracle — that the district opened for business that day.

Over the past few months the district has had to deal with many problems and controversies concerning the 2015-2016 budget, its special education programming, the contract the school has with The Gilbert School, the misrepresentation of special education data and the negative job performance review of Superintendent of Schools Anne Watson.

It was enough turmoil that in August the state Department of Education appointed Robert Travaglini as receiver for the school district. In one of his first actions, Travaglini placed Watson on administrative leave “with pay pending investigation of alleged performance concerns related to the execution of [her] duties and responsibilities as superintendent of Winchester Public Schools.”

Two days later Watson filed a lawsuit against Board of Education Chairman Susan Hoffnagle and the board, essentially accusing them of giving her a bad job performance review for being a whistleblower on various issues to the state Department of Education.

We cannot act as judge and jury on Watson’s lawsuit and the numerous claims she made against Hoffnagle, the board and the school district; that is the job of the state’s court system.

Many of these claims are quite alarming, but so was Watson’s job performance review issued by the board in May.

With all of these issues still at the forefront of the minds of the community, Travaglini issued a letter to district teachers and staff concerning Watson’s suspension.

“I expect that this year, there might be a heightened sense of anxiety of what the year ahead will be like under state oversight,” Travaglini wrote in his letter.

No kidding.

The lawsuit brought by Watson, along with her accusations, has heightened that sense of anxiety, practically pouring gasoline on a firestorm of problems that still has not been resolved.

When the state’s Department of Education announced the receivership plan for the school district back in June, it was announced that the receiver would meet with community members to discuss issues facing the school district.

While members of the Department of Education met with residents in August at The Gilbert School to discuss issues, Travaglini has not scheduled a meeting with the community as of yet.

Considering the lawsuit filed by Watson, the ongoing investigation by the state into Watson’s time as superintendent and the problems the school district continues to face, we believe that the receiver should schedule a meeting as soon as possible to talk to — and listen to — the school community.

While we realize that it will take some time for the state to resolve the various issues, it is important to put a face on the person who is now acting as the town’s Board of Education and CEO of the district.

In his letter to teachers and staff, Travaglini wrote, “During my tenure, I hope to foster an open and transparent environment with [district] staff, especially around the district and school improvement efforts.”

We are hopeful that Travaglini will also foster an open and transparent environment with parents, students and residents.