SARGENT – At its April meeting, the Sargent School Board unanimously approved the contract of its new principal; Mr. Gordon Goodman is expected to assume his administrative duties this fall.
The hire comes shortly following the dismissal of Principal Cory Grint, a decision by the school board that in recent weeks has left in its wake wave after wave of questions from the Sargent community.
Following its meeting the month prior, the school board released a statement to the community in an attempt to explain the dismissal, though from a quick temperature check of the fifty-plus faculty, students, and residents gathered for the monthly meeting in the school’s library, it was less than warmly received.
Educator Tami Phillipps, speaking out as she had at the March meeting, pointed to a perceived lack of transparency in the release. “It was quoted: ‘Several areas were of particular concern.’ So I’d like to know what was reviewed, and who it was reviewed by. As a teacher, I’d just like to know.”
An explanation is far from simple. The school board claims that several teacher evaluations over the 2021 and 2022 school year, a responsibility of the principal, were either incomplete or neglected; the board also claims that a lack of proper credentials helped pull the string on the non-renewal of Grint’s contract.
Grint, speaking briefly at the meeting, said that he did complete evaluations for the prior year after having been notified of the lapse; the board acknowledged he had.
That agreement, however, appears to be the hem of any mutual understanding, and the fringe of a pretty opaque curtain. While evaluation responsibilities fall to school administration, so typically do recommendations regarding personnel decisions.
According to the Sargent School Board’s own policies, the school board “shall act on the recommendations of the Superintendent in matters of policy, employee employment or dismissal, other personnel regulations, and other matters pertaining to the direct welfare of the schools.”
By all accounts, one just as surprised as any to hear of February’s announcement of the impending administrative vacancy was Superintendent Rod Richardson.
The seeming lack of transparency from the board has confused and hurt a great many around Sargent, including educator Joni Ritchie, who, pointing to her 17 years with the district at Wednesday’s meeting, lamented what she sees as the shadowy skulking of Sargent’s once proud and unflinching bulldog on the leash of the current school board.
“It saddens me to see what this board has set in motion, and how it is dividing our community. At one time I was so proud of how our community pulled together to make our schools a great place to send our children, and prepare them for the future. I thought as a board member, you were here to do what’s best for our children, our staff, and our school, not your personal agendas.”
Agenda may be a weasel, but the law is a bear. State statutes say that the contract of any employee “may be canceled or amended by a majority of members of the school board during the school year” for reasons which include breach of contract, neglect of duty, or insubordination, to name a handful.
A dismissed or non-renewed employee, however, is entitled to written notification of a closed hearing regarding the action; while the hearing is expected to take place behind closed doors, the formal action must be public, and the employee is entitled to a copy of the hearing’s findings and determinations.
As of mid-April, only the outgoing principal, the superintendent, and the Sargent School Board would know if any such action has taken place; for now, without any straight answers, the rumor mill grinds its flour, and the town of Sargent has been kneading it, letting it rise, and chewing it over, while Mr. Goodman waits for the kitchen to cool.
