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Interim superintendent signals he will not return; board disputes monitor role in search
Summary
Interim Superintendent Mr. DeCarlo said he cannot commit to continuing in the role, and board members expressed frustration with the superintendent search process and communication with state monitors.
Interim Superintendent Mr. DeCarlo told the Board of Education May 20 that he will not be returning as superintendent, stating he took the post as a leave replacement and cannot make a long-term commitment. “I took this position as a leave replacement for the year... I can't make that commitment over time,” DeCarlo said during a lengthy public exchange about the superintendent search.
Board members discussed the search process and said they had encountered obstacles with state monitors. Several board members said the board’s choice of a finalist had not moved forward, and they expressed frustration at what they described as a lack of clear communication. One board member said the board had been “forced into the superintendent search firm” and that the board’s preferred candidate had removed themselves from consideration.
The district’s attorney, Douglas Gerhardt, advised the board on the limits of public discussion: the board may discuss the selection process in public, but deliberation about specific candidates or employment decisions for particular individuals is an executive-session matter. Gerhardt told the board that he would guide the committee on what the board “can or cannot be addressed” and that the board should be clear on next steps.
State monitors interrupted the public discussion at one point to say the substance of some remarks was inappropriate for public session; a monitor suggested the board discuss personnel matters in executive session. Board members followed that advice and moved into executive session to discuss “possible termination of or hiring/termination/discipline of a particular employee,” according to the motion read aloud.
DeCarlo said he has been “humbled and honored to work with this board” and described the past weeks of the search as “very difficult.” He told board members that continuity is important for the district but that personal circumstances preclude a multiyear commitment from him.
The board did not announce, in public session, a final superintendent appointment or a public resolution about the search; members indicated further action would follow after executive session.
