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Staff, parents urge Saco School Committee to reverse decision to eliminate curriculum director role
Summary
Multiple Saco teachers, education staff and residents told the July 14 school committee meeting that eliminating the curriculum director position and terminating Julie Smythe would harm curriculum continuity and pre-K supports, urging the board to reconsider.
At the July 14 Saco School Committee meeting, teachers, education technicians and residents urged the board to reverse a reorganization that eliminates the district’s curriculum director position and removes Julie Smythe from that role.
Julie Petren, who identified herself as an employee of Saco Public Schools, told the board Smythe had driven curriculum improvements and built a successful pre-K program. “Julie Smythe was never just a pre k director,” Petren said, describing programs adopted under Smythe’s leadership and the district’s successful pre-K operations during the pandemic.
Martha Vandaloski, a teacher who said she has worked in Saco for 38 years, called the decision “a very sad day” and asked how an interim superintendent would be able to dedicate time to curriculum work. “A curriculum director is more important than ever to bring the educational level back up for our students,” Vandaloski said.
Nicole Yanni, an educational technician in the pre-K system, told the board teachers need a trusted support system. “If I have to look up and realize that I don’t know that person and I don’t feel comfortable going to that person, how am I going to help when I have a question?” she asked, urging the committee to keep the position.
Speakers tied their concerns to practical supports they said Smythe provided — professional development, curriculum adoption and continuity for struggling readers — and warned that shifting those duties to an interim superintendent could leave staff without a dedicated point of contact during recovery from the COVID-19 disruption.
The public speakers asked the board to involve staff and parents in administrative hiring decisions; some said they feared retaliation if they spoke. The board did not take a formal vote in response to the public comments during that portion of the meeting. Later in the agenda, the committee approved a superintendent-proposed reorganization plan that includes creating an assistant superintendent position and other reporting changes.
