Residents praise new board but raise special-needs concerns; board member alleges $270,000 separation agreement

Several residents spoke during the public-comment period, offering both praise and criticism.

Caroline Lawrence (773 Oak Street) expressed long-term community involvement and support for the new board, and asked the district to address principal vacancies at S.P. Morton School. April Edwards (117 Fairview Drive) said she has been ‘‘fighting’’ for special-needs services for her nonverbal autistic son and alleged the school did not provide required services; she said her son was placed in a residential facility after truancy proceedings she disputes and told the board she could provide documentation. Edwards said she reported incidents and that school responses were insufficient: "My son was never truant... They took my son instead of correcting it."

Denise Johnson identified herself and praised programs that had helped students, urged board members to stop personal arguing and focus on children, and called for respectful conduct.

During board announcements a member raised allegations that a separation agreement had been proposed asking Dr. Carter to resign with roughly $270,000 in salary and benefits and criticized lawyer spending, saying the district previously spent about $140,000 on legal fees last year and that the additional $270,000 could have supported staff and students. That board member asked who authorized the agreement, where the vote had occurred and who was running administrative functions if the superintendent was removed; the comments went unanswered as a formal accusation and the matter remained unresolved in the meeting.

The public comments and the board member’s allegation about a separation agreement were recorded in the meeting transcript but the board did not present any contract or settlement documentation in open session, and no formal vote on a separation was recorded at this meeting.