Replacing Maria

Maria Geryk at 3/31 Finance Committee meeting with Mike Morris, Sean Mangano

The search to replace former school Superintendent Maria Geryk is off to an inauspicious start.  The survey of qualities folks wish to see in her replacement has not gotten very wide circulation.  And as surveys go that's not a great thing.

 Click to enlarge/read

One of the big criticisms of our public schools which we will hear again on the floor of Town Meeting tonight is a lack of transparency and outreach.

The hiring of a "Media & Climate Communications Specialists" (which is not funded in the upcoming fiscal year) did nothing to change that.  Obviously.

Replacing Maria

Maria Geryk at 3/31 Finance Committee meeting with Mike Morris, Sean Mangano (just before the fall)


A joint meeting of the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee and Union 26 voted unanimously to hire Ray & Associates as a head hunter search consultant to have a new Superintendent in place by July 1st, the start of the FY 18 fiscal year.

The winning bid was $17,000 but it was not the lowest one as the only other bidder (at $14,000) could not handle the ambitious timeline of the Request For Proposals.

Ray & Associates was founded in 1975 and currently has 170 "associates" who make up the firm.  Dr. Michael Rush put on a masterful homespun performance at the January 10th meeting  and assured committee members his company's final short list of candidates would not embarrass his firm or the Region.

Dr. Michael Rush presents to Region-Union 26 on January 10th

Which of course is a good thing considering how embarrassing the demise of Maria Geryk played out before a w-i-d-e audience, which of course will be available to potential candidates via a simple Google search.

So at least they will know full well what they are getting themselves into.

Dr. Rush will interview by phone all school committee members in the next few days and he will return to Amherst on January 23rd and 24th to hold stakeholder interviews with teacher, PTOs, Lions/Rotary Clubs, etc and his firm will also provide an online survey available for any member of the general public.

The deadline for potential candidates is March 3 and based on his firm's 40 year experience he initially expects 70 respondents, which they will whittle down to 8-12 for presentation to the School Committee via one way video and then narrowed down to two or three for a final in-person interview.

He suggested the School Committees choose a new Superintendent by March 27 so they can give plenty of notice to their current District before relocating to Amherst for July 1st.

Salary is of course a major carrot so the Committee will have to quickly decide a range to be included in the nationwide search which is expected to cost an additional $10,000 to $15,000 in advertising.

Safe bet the proposed salary will continue to keep the Superintendent's position as the highest paid in town, even though they "do it for the kids."

2016 Story Of The Year

'Twas a story that played out over too many months, too many Regional School Committee executive sessions and a final payout of way too many tax dollars -- $309,000 -- before it came to an ignominious end.

The precipitous fall of School Superintendent Maria Geryk, the highest paid town employee, is a cautionary tale that serves to remind us of the old maxim about absolute power corrupting absolutely.

Mike Morris, Maria Geryk, Amherst School Committee at Town Meeting May, 2016

Sure, there were grumblings over her entire tenure about failed academic programs, a seemingly revolving door for school principals, the high average cost per student driving our taxes skyhigh  and the steady stream of students choosing charter schools over our hometown offerings.

But over the course of five years nothing seriously challenged her throne until Ms. Geryk made one fatal monumental error in judgment:  issuing a "stay away order" to a single mother simply trying to get the public school system do something about the somewhat racially charged bullying of her 7-year-old daughter.

A story I first broke on April 14th and published over a dozen follow ups over the next four months. 

But that first story was my highest read (20,000+) and most commented story (210) of the year and it set off a slow rumble leading to a major earthquake whose aftershocks will be felt for a very long time.

For instance the failure of the $67 million Mega School can be directly attributed to Maria Geryk's insistence on having it her way even though the vast majority of parents and teachers preferred a different academic model to solving the physical problems with Wildwood and Fort River Elementary schools.

And after almost four years of deliberations the attempt to e-x-p-a--n-d  regionalization from the current 7-12 system all the way down to K-6 went front burner to back burner to dead & buried as well as the idea of merging the Regional Middle School students into the Regional High School thus freeing up that building for other productive uses.

Now the schools are searching for a another Superintendent and a couple of Principals.  And of course I will get the blame for bringing down Maria Geryk and creating a "toxic" atmosphere that no sane bureaucrat will wish to endure even for the overly generous salary the position guarantees.

Eric Nakajima was appointed to Amherst School Committee by Select Board and School Committee vote

But the recent appointment of Eric Nakajima to the Amherst School Committee and his quick election as Chair of the Regional School Committee to replace Laura Kent, a rookie who couldn't handle the pressure,  offers the best hope we've seen in a l-o-n-g while.

2017 promises to be an interesting year -- hopefully not in the Chinese curse sort of way.

APD Did NOT Recommend Stay Away Order

Maria Geryk (rt) pondering how to spend $310K

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Or not
 

   Maria Geryk's final emails by Larry Kelley on Scribd

The $67,200,000 Question

League of Women Voters School Building Forum last night

Not sure too many minds were changed by the League of Women Voters forum on the new Mega School last night, which attracted parents, School Committee, Select Board and Town Meeting members in almost equal measures.

Although little to no college aged youth.  

Any yes surely the entire audience of about 100 will be voting on the ballot question on November 8th with probably the highest turnout in Amherst election history.

But continued status quo is not a good thing for proponents of the shiny new co-located school as recent school related chaotic events has eroded confidence in their overall administration.

Proponents of the $67 million project cited equity, health & safety, streamline efficiencies and of course the state's contribution to a little over half the project cost, while opponents zeroed in on the the high overall cost of the building and even higher cost of "grade reconfiguration" which  breaks up the neighborhood school concept in favor of a two grades 2-6 schools in one.

The Finance Committee presented facts that will make the average homeowner break into a cold sweat especially considering the other three building projects waiting in line behind the Schools.

The ballot question will not even have a number attached to it but the School Building Committee announced the state had approved the project at $67.2 million with the town share of $33.7 million.

 Click to enlarge read

The Finance Committee also pointed out that should the ballot question fail or Town Meeting turns down the authorization, the School Building Committee can try again with the same concept as happened in 1996 with the $22 million High School expansion that passed the second time around.

Or they can downsize the project and/or combine it with a renovation of one school and much smaller new school and resubmit a statement of interest to the MSBA.  The state agency does also fund two projects in one town (Granby for instance) as long as one is completed before applying for the second.

Necessity is the mother of invention.  Voting No on November 8 will certainly stimulate a little inventiveness from town officials and send a message about the other major projects lining up in the queue. 

Finally: Secret Documents Revealed

Regional School Committee meeting September 7

After a nitpicking hour and a half that seemed like FOREVER the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee voted 5-3 to release the executive session minutes spanning almost 15 hours of behind closed doors meetings, culminating in a $309,000 payout to former Superintendent Maria Geryk. 

But then member Vira Douangmany Cage changed her mind and switched to "abstain." Either way clearly Ms. Cage, Stephen Sullivan and Trevor Baptiste were unhappy with the release of the minutes and associated documents.

The key puzzle piece missing, however, are the Pelham School Committee minutes of the executive session that Maria Geryk used in her initial demand letter claiming breach of contract and defamation of character, which led to "emotional distress".

Mr. Baptiste said her characterization of what went on in that meeting was wrong, and she uses that to trash his good name as well as Dan Robb and Vira Douangmany Cage.

But at least we now know most of the real story:  Maria Geryk panicked after issuing a stay away order on March 17 to Aisha Hiza  without due process, realized after the May 5th Pelham School Committee meeting that she would not get away with it, so then desperately decided to hit the road in a new Mercedes.

And who better to know how to game the system than someone who once led that system?

This is a pretty good intro to the documents package below

   Secret Documents Dump

Who Shot J.R.?

Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee

Well, maybe not the equal to TVs most famous cliffhanger but this confirmation that tell-all documents will be released Tuesday at the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee should dramatically increase viewership.

Although I doubt Maria Geryk will be in attendance.

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A BOLD Evening Indeed

President Obama, Katherine Appy, Laura Kent

Well at least Amherst School Committee Chair Katherine Appy will be able to write off the wine as a campaign contribution (cheese as well).  And considering the current chaos the public schools find themselves in, it's gonna take a LOT of wine to sell this $67 million dollar Mega School.

As a private individual Ms. Appy has every right to advocate for the November 8th Override question, but if a quorum of School Committee members (only two more) or three Select Board members attend the party, then it is a violation of Open Meeting Law since it has not been publicly posted.  And no, this article does not count.

And you also have to wonder if tax dollars are being expended to bring in lead architect Jim LaPosta to "give us updates and answer questions." 

 Click to enlarge/read

UPDATE:  As mentioned by Ms. Appy in comments this is a private gathering for like minded individuals, which rules out the vast majority of my readers.  Especially the beer guzzling or wine-from-a-box crowd.

Deception?

"Dysfunctional" Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee

So when a lawyer uses the term "deception" in writing we should all sit up and take notice.

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Especially when she is talking about something not related to ensuring a paying client gets a good legal outcome.

Although in this case her client is really the entire town of Leverett  and they will end up being the saps who have to help cover the $309,000 payout over this regrettable matter.  Along with Amherst, Pelham, and Shutesbury.

When I first heard a few days ago that she had resigned my initial response was hardly one of surprise.  In fact I'm a little surprised a few more have not resigned.  Because obviously some of them are in w-a-y over their heads.

The official minutes of the exceedingly long four executive sessions were supposed to be released a week ago.

And if rookie Chair Laura Kent is withholding them even after her committee voted to release them and after publication by the Daily Hampshire Gazette of the "draft" minutes,  the chances are astronomically good that she will also refuse to release the original five page email from Maria Geryk to her buddy, attorney Giny Tate, outlining her initial demands for a $600K payout.

Apparently in that deleterious document, which attorney Tom Columb -- an associate of Giny Tate -- repossessed, Geryk trashed the reputations of RSC members Baptiste, Cage and Robb.

Coincidentally enough the same three members who were critical of her stewardship as Superintendent in the annual evaluations that have yet to be officially released by the Regional School Committee.

Which seems to indicate someone gave those evaluations to Maria Geryk in advance.  Probably the same ones who happily voted for her $309K payout.

Deception indeed!

Transparency?

Laura Kent has her hands full as rookie Regional School Committee Chair

Sorry I just don't buy the "poor-little-us-we're-just-volunteers" routine.

If you enter a race up Mt. Washington it doesn't matter if you are in the professional or amateur division, as that mountain is going to do its best to kill you.

So half way up do not lament that you are only a "volunteer".

Deal with it.

   Quest For Public Documents

Secret Meetings Continue

Former Superintendent Maria Geryk getting a $309,000 buyout

Region and Union 26

Once again Pelham school committee representative Trevor Baptiste put up a stink about proceedings, this time concerning Union 26 taking a revote/do over on Maria Geryk's $309,000 buyout package, after he questioned if Union 26 is even a legal entity.

 Trevor Baptiste, former Chair of the Region 

Union 26 (Amherst & Pelham SC members) revote Maria Geryk $309K buyout

Last week they voted in favor of the contract but did not have a legal quorum.  

So after 10 minutes of bickering they came to a 4-1 affirmative vote (one member, Chair Tara Luce, had recused herself).  Last week the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee voted 4-3 in favor of the buyout.

So now, theoretically, it's a done deal.

Except RSC member Vira Douangmany Cage is asking the Attorney General to investigate the matter.  And/or it only takes 10 teed-off taxpayers to file a class action lawsuit in Hampshire Superior Court
.

 Mike Morris appointed acting Superintendent

The Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee then went into executive session to negotiate a contract with Mike Morris to become Acting Superintendent, and to approve the executive session minutes over the past four sessions amounting to just over 11 hours of secret meetings.

Chair Laura Kent said it would be 45 minutes.  The Committee finally came back into public session around 9:15 PM -- after THREE HOURS -- but said they would not release the executive session minutes tonight.

   Audience at 6:15 when RSC went into executive session

OML Complaints Piling Up

Maria Geryk is seeking $309,000 to buy out last two years of her contract

The Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee is planning to go into executive session on Wednesday for the 5th consecutive meeting, only this time to approve the minutes from the previous four session so they can be released to the general public, and to discuss the Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Michael Hootstein on August 1st.

Well now they will have even more to discuss concerning that complaint because Mr. Hootstein has filed yet another seeking an overturn of their 4-3 vote last week to pay Superintendent Maria Geryk $309,000.

Furthermore, he is requesting the Attorney General fine RSC Chair Laura Kent and Amherst School Committee Chair Katherine Appy $1,000 for willfully and knowingly violating the Open Meeting Law.

 In addition he seeks release of an email from Maria Geryk distributed but retrieved by attorney Tom Columb, an associate of attorney Giny Tate, at the first executive session July 13 meeting where she presented her demands with assistance from Giny Tate who is the Regional School Committee's legal counsel.

   Another Public School OML Complaint

Consonance & Dissonance

 Today's Gazette (almost keeping up)

This morning's hometown newspaper front page says it all: The catastrophic implosion of Maria Geryk's 5.5 year reign as Superintendent of the venerable Amherst Regional Public Schools dominating above-and-below the fold with two dirty laundry stories on the right side, while the historic Olympic silver medal win of hometown boy and recent ARHS graduate Micheal Hixon shares the left side.

Maria Geryk before the fall


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No mention of the $309K buyout coming out of the schools budget

Do Over!!!

Only two members of Union 26 were present last night

Last night was supposed to be a joint meeting of the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee and Union 26, so with 100% attendance it would include 12 individuals.

But only seven bothered to show up for the Last Supper and another one -- Katherine Appy -- appeared via "remote participation" which means she does not count towards a quorum.

Since six of the seven were Regional School Committee members that constitutes a quorum for that body.

But Union 26 was not even close to a quorum (only 2 of 6).  According to Debbie Westmoreland, assistant to the (now dethroned) Superintendent:

"Union 26 is made up of the three officers (chair, vice-chair and secretary) from the Amherst and Pelham School Committees, so it is currently Tara Luce, Darius Modestow and Trevor Baptiste for Pelham and Katherine Appy, Rick Hood and Phoebe Hazzard for Amherst." 

While Rick Hood was in the room he is no longer a member of the Amherst School Committee so therefor cannot be a member of Union 26.  Katherine Appy was using "remote participation" which state law says you do not count towards the quorum and Phoebe Hazzard and Tara Luce were MIA.

This HUGE oversight certainly demonstrates how the School Committees were distracted by their  headlong rush to judgement.

   Maria Geryk ARPS Superintendent contract by Larry Kelley on Scribd

Note her contract is signed by Union 26 and Regional SC Chairs

The Other Shoe Drops

Aisha & Raheli Hiza:  Banned in Pelham

UPDATE:  The RSC voted 5-3 to give Maria Geryk a $310K buyout.  Ouch!

####

Before our embattled, diffident Regional School Committee rubber stamps Maria Geryk's $300K platinum parachute they may want to consider another major lawsuit in the making.

Yes, Ms. Hiza has made it perfectly clear she's not interested in money, only justice.

But she will most certainly be appalled at a $300K payout to Geryk, when in fact it was the impetuous implementation of an unjust stay away order that led to her current downfall.

But if the RSC insists on rewarding that bad behavior, Ms. Hiza will most certainly reset her goals to an equal payout for the significant emotional damages inflicted on her and -- most especially -- her daughter.

The old, "Damned if you do and damned if you don't".  So why not do what's right?

   Aisha Hiza Lawsuit in the Making

The End Is Near

Maria Geryk is probably out as ARPS Superintendent

So yes, I've been sitting on this memo for a few hours and had no plans to publish it until Tuesday because I try not to negatively influence a story when acting as a reporter -- as opposed to a columnist.

But since the Gazette decided to go with it, thus endangering a source for illegally breaching the sanctity of an executive session, I guess I can, reluctantly, publish it:

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Terms are 1.5 years of pay (@$158K per year), but will probably also include unused sick days, personal days, etc, so the final price will be over $250,000.

Of course now the interesting thing is with this being splashed on the front page of the Gazette -- above the fold no less -- prior to the deal being done, Regional School Committee members could come under pressure from constituents who think the buyout is too high.

Or Maria Geryk could hear from friends or other professionals that the 1.5 year offer is too low; so either side could change their mind.

Wouldn't be the first time the Gazette was wrong.

Secret Sessions Continue

All 12 members appeared for the meeting but 2 of them used "remote participation"

Despite the Open Meeting Law complaint filed against them the night before and over the objection of former Chair Trevor Baptiste the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee, after 11 minutes of bickering, retreated into execution session for 2.75 hours, calling it a night at 9:00 PM.

This was the third consecutive session (not counting the two that were cancelled at the last minute) the Committee has used the provision of the Open Meeting Law that allows for secret sessions.



Since contract negotiations with Superintendent Maria Geryk -- who still has two years left on her current contract -- was the only issue cited on the agenda the Committee could not discuss her long delayed evaluation, the Open Meeting Law complaint filed against them on Sunday evening or the price of pot in Colorado.

The RSC will meet again on August 9th in open session to, finally, finish up the evaluation of Superintendent Geryk and then retreat back into secret session to discuss the Open Meeting Law complaint.

Yeah, irony.

A Tad Too Secretive?

Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee will meet tonight in ARHS Library

Even before the Regional School Committee convenes this evening for the 3rd straight executive session regarding the fate of Superintendent Maria Geryk, a guardian with a grandchild in the public school system has filed an Open Meeting Law complaint over their secretive behavior.

   School Comm OPM Complaint

Clearly there are problems with the annual evaluation of the Superintendent and clearly the Open Meeting Law states, unlike lower echelon employees in the public schools, all deliberations regarding the Superintendent's job performance must take place in public.

3rd Time The Charm?

Maria Geryk at Select Board meeting in January for Mega School update

For the 3rd consecutive time (plus two that were cancelled last minute) the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee will meet in executive session to discuss the employment future of Superintendent Maria Geryk.

Since it is a secret meeting with no itemized posted agenda we do not know if it's Maria Geryk who wants out of the remaining two years on her contract (at $150K per year) or if it is the School Committee that wishes to terminate the entire contract or just the extra 3rd year that requires 120 day notice to terminate. 

Although I'm told this is the first time rookie Chair Laura Kent polled members in advance (legally allowed under Open Meeting Law) to ascertain whether they are available to make this meeting. 

The Regional School Committee also formerly adopted "remote participation," so even if members are on vacation they can participate by Skype, Facetime or conference call.

The Superintendent has been under fire for the past four months for issuing a "stay away order" to single parent Aisha Hiza who was pressing school officials to deal with the bullying of her seven year old daughter (and a few other children in the Pelham Elementary School).

 Aisha Hiza at June 13 Select Board meeting

Unlike the District Court system the state allows Superintendents superpowers when it comes to issuing such orders.  But with any great power comes the responsibility to use it wisely.

Wildwood Gone Wild

Wildwood Building Project now expected to cost $33 million in town funds

 

Wildwood Building Committee yesterday afternoon

A day after the Select Board agreed to place a Debt Exclusion Override on the November 8 ballot the Wildwood School Building Committee heard what the possible amount would be:  A lot.

 Presentation to Select Board Monday night

$33 million to be precise, or perhaps the word precise is a tad too precise at this moment.

The Committee also heard about estimates that already came in almost $2 million too high, so the OPM and architects had to delete or reduce items.

 Recent cost cuts

When Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek questioned why the building will only be LEED Silver vs LEED Gold certified, he was told that too was a trade off due to cost constraints.

The November 8th ballot question will not have an actual amount but by then a more precise number will be known and the November 14th Town Meeting will need to vote a bond authorization for a precise amount.  That requires a two-thirds vote.

By then the project will only have a 6% contingency built in, so if in the final stages of construction  that gets overrun the additional amount needed will not be funded/reimbursed by MSBA.  Currently the overall reimbursement rate is projected at 50%-55%.

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The town will pay as we go the entire $67 million, but will also get the reimbursements within weeks of submitting bills for eligible costs bringing the total town spending down to, maybe, $33 million but that does not include interest.

Embattled School Superintendent Maria Geryk, a member of the Wildwood Building Committee, was not at the meeting and did not attend the Select Board meeting on Monday night.

The Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee meets later this afternoon in Executive Session for the second time in a week to discuss her future employment.