Now is your time PVRS- UPDATED

 Now that Miller is leaving (and three years to damn late) is the time to ensure that the next Superintendent stepping up is one that is good for PVRS and holds our values, something Miller never did . The destruction from her stay here will be felt for awhile to come.
Stay involved!! Go to the meetings , do your homework ,get names of who they are looking at , go on the internet, go to the schools and ask around , don't depend on the School Committee . ( Lord knows you cannot expect this SC to do what is in the best interest of PVRS or she would of been gone the first year). Bring your concerns to the table, make them public , we cannot allow another disaster to walk in this school.  Now is your time PVRS to right a wrong that has been done to us and our teachers and children.
As for you  SC we are very aware of you watching this blog and I promise you we are gonna make sure the next person to step into our school is worthy of our school. This one won't be a cake walk like your last disaster. So dot them i's and cross them t's because we are here to ensure that what is best for PVRS comes to PVRS. This is your time to make amends and undo what you have done to our schools. Its also time for you to make sure whatever is ahead is able to talk to school choice to get them to once again believe in our schools and what is taught here. You made this mess now its up to you to fix it. FYI next up is new Principal . Bacon also is not good for our school or Perry and unless we see changes they too need to go.
Its time PVRS takes back our schools and its now!

WE ARE WATCHING YOU !

NORTHFIELD — In their first meeting to discuss replacing Superintendent Ruth Miller, Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s Superintendent Search Committee decided to scope out the possibility of sharing administrators with another school district.
The search committee was formed as a result of Miller’s June announcement that she won’t be looking to negotiate a new contract once her current three-year contract is up. If nothing changes, Miller’s last day as superintendent will be June 30.
The five members of the committee are Patricia Shearer, John Rodgers, Jim Bell, Peggy Kaeppel and William Wahlstrom. With all present but Rodgers, the committee overwhelmingly agreed Thursday that the best path for the district is to try to work out some sort of shared superintendent and central office staff arrangement on an interim basis while considering opportunities for sharing central office staff long term.
Each member was assigned a school district to contact to gauge interest in sharing superintendents, business managers or other services on an interim basis. Districts include Frontier Regional School District, the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District, the Gill-Montague Regional School District, Franklin County Technical School, the Mohawk Trail Regional School District and Greenfield School Department.
The group also began drafting a letter, which members will share at Thursday’s School Committee meeting, to send as a follow-up to phone calls to each district.

Bernardston Selectman Robert Raymond said local school districts haven’t sought shared services because “nobody wants to give up their autonomy,” but hopes doing so would allow for some financial relief.
“I don’t think the same old model is what we need right now,” Wahlstrom agreed.
The four search committee members agreed an interim arrangement would allow time to find the right long-term solution, considering a crunch in time between now and the end of Miller’s contract.
“This is a big deal,” Shearer said. “We don’t want to end up with someone who doesn’t meet our specifications.”
“The idea of an interim sounds pretty good to me, so we have time to make a good decision,” Bell agreed.
The Superintendent Search Committee will meet again to report back on their conversations with other districts on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at Pioneer.










This is an update from a previous story concerning the transportation issue.

Well Well Well .. funny how things come out in the open when Pandora's box is starting to open.
It seems the transportation issue we can almost guarantee she knew about .. Why you ask?   Well, it just so happens I got an email from a Templeton resident and he said THIS ALSO HAPPEN IN TEMPLETON AND OH MY!! THE SAME WAY! SC how about you check and find out when she  first heard of this, SB you as well. Just call the company who informed her . Taxpayers would like to know.

Ideas?

Some ideas.. lets see your over payments in pay should of been the first to be cut  and removing Healy will save as well. Miller does not need an asst when the schools population is way down. Perry could also be released. Again, she shows her lack of ability to lead. Lets take from the kids and get rid of teachers and keep people who clearly are no longer needed. 
Again, you were warned and again you allowed it to happen and the only people here who are paying  for your mistakes Miller and SB, are the kids, teachers and taxpayers.

Buying her out the first year would of saved the school, and taxpayers and kids alot of unneeded stress.
I predicted it once and again I will state it PVRS is  on a one way street to closure.

NORTHFIELD — In the face of a projected $282,514 deficit for the current school year, Pioneer Valley Regional School District Superintendent Ruth Miller has some ideas for cuts.
Miller announced the shortfall in the approximately $14.1 million budget during a budget subcommittee meeting last week, explaining the deficit resulted primarily from the district receiving $303,601 less in regional transportation reimbursement than she budgeted.
However, during Thursday’s School Committee meeting, she said the health, life and dental insurance accounts may provide the most substantial savings. Miller said when looking at the budget again, she found she budgeted $280,752 more than was necessary in the wake of significant staffing changes.
“It was definitely impacted by the reduction in force last year,” she said.
Miller also proposed cutting $31,142 from the professional development fund, $3,668 from Northfield Elementary School’s budget primarily due to needing less money for books, and another school bus due to minimal use by students. Miller estimated cutting one bus would save $60,000.

At the School Committee’s August meeting, the committee also voted to cut $10,000 out of the budget that had been allocated to compensate Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Pam Lawrence for her services digitizing documents.
All the aforementioned cuts would save the district $385,562. Miller advised her suggestions go before the budget subcommittee at its next meeting.
“It looks like we’re going to be able to get through the year comfortably, and if we’re lucky, we’ll have some extra money,” she said.

Speechless

First off I want to make something very clear. Gina Johnson is far from anyone who would misappropriate funds. For that to be even mentioned is disgraceful. She works very hard for that school and the kids .

Additionally, Campbell recommended Athletic Director Gina Johnson turn over money for deposit on a weekly basis, rather than biweekly or monthly as has been done.
“Any delay between the collecting and turning over of receipts increases the risk that these funds could be misappropriated,” the auditors wrote in a management letter for the district.

I warned you it would get worst .. and here you are. She took complete control of fiances when she came in  and the SB allowed it to happen. Templeton warned you to watch the budget and not allow her to manage  and you allowed her to be in control of financial management. No records , no logs , and than a treasurer is put on one day while Miller, Bacon,Perry and Healy all get hefty raises and teachers are without jobs and the school is in quicksand  What do you see wrong here????
That extra money could of been used for the lunch deficit, yet was pocketed instead . Listen it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the way these logs have been done its easy to pocket alot of cash. Follow the money.If you can't see it I can't make you understand it. PVRS is dying just like Templeton was and little by little they are crawling out and if something isn't done soon this is gonna sink deeper than quicksand.





Open your eyes taxpayers or get ready for some hefty tax prices. While your at it smarten up and remove them on the SB quickly they are not working for you .

 









NORTHFIELD — Though Pioneer Valley Regional School District started fiscal year 2016 with a $381,414 structural budget deficit, the district managed to close the year in the black.
But financial management at the district is weak and could lead to other unforeseen budget problems, auditors told school officials recently.
Tanya Campbell and Patrice Squillante of Melanson Heath, the accounting and tax firm responsible for auditing Pioneer for the past two years, came before the School Committee Thursday to discuss the district’s budgetary weaknesses in the 2015-2016 school year, as well as ways to improve financial management.
Hearing about the structural budget deficit alarmed community members during a recent budget subcommittee meeting, but Thursday’s meeting allowed the auditors to explain the situation to a room of about 50 community members.
“You had voted an operating budget that was higher than your sources (of income) by this $380,000,” Squillante told the committee.”

By shifting about $200,000 worth of costs to the School Choice fund, and underspending “in a number of categories across the board,” such as administration and instruction, by almost $300,000, Squillante said the district ended that school year with a net income of about $25,000.
When considering how such a turnaround could have occurred, School Committee member Martha Morse said she recalled Superintendent Ruth Miller freezing spending in fall 2015.
“That, in essence, prevented us from going under,” Morse theorized.
“I think that’s a fair conclusion,” Squillante replied.
Reconciling the ledgerHowever, the district isn’t out of the woods either, based on the auditors’ review. In particular, Campbell said controls in the treasurer’s office worsened from one year to the next.
In FY16, the treasurer tracked cash flow in a manual ledger that didn’t adequately distinguish between bank accounts, Campbell said. A manual ledger, she continued, allows for more errors, especially considering the district’s numerous transactions.
And now, the new treasurer, Kelly Jones, who works only one day each week, is behind in tracking the accounts.
“Our understanding is that there’s no formal cash flow being recorded in 2017,” Campbell said. “Bank reconciliations have not been done since June 2016.”
Campbell recommended employing outside help, which Miller hopes to arrange through the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.
“We can’t stress the urgency of needing to do this sooner rather than later, having gone this long without any reconciliations in place,” Campbell said. “You really don’t have a good handle on where things ended in 2017 … If things aren’t OK, it’s better to know that sooner than later.”
More room for improvementThe increasing school lunch deficit also continues to be a problem for the district. Assistant Superintendent Gail Healy advised the deficit was $249,000 at the end of July.
To add buffer room into the budget, Squillante advised increasing the unassigned general fund balance, which was $113,000, or less than 1 percent of the budget, in FY16. Up to 5 percent can be unassigned, she said, recommending the district try to “restore some of that surplus.”
In the case of the Athletic Department, Campbell said the two “found a couple areas where improvement could be made.” She found no formal receipt log was maintained to track money coming in, nor were the department’s records formally reconciled to the general ledger.
Additionally, Campbell recommended Athletic Director Gina Johnson turn over money for deposit on a weekly basis, rather than biweekly or monthly as has been done.
“Any delay between the collecting and turning over of receipts increases the risk that these funds could be misappropriated,” the auditors wrote in a management letter for the district.
Miller said Johnson has heard the auditors’ recommendations and has already implemented them.
Another budgeting weakness that persisted from FY15 involved the auditors being unable to find a comprehensive budget document, suggesting a one-page summary of uses and funds. However, such a document is something Miller is working to fine-tune.

YOU WERE WARNED OVER AND OVER

 OMG your ignorance school committee has destroyed this school and everything it stands for. You were warned not to hire Miller  , we warned you to watch the budget by Templeton! Over and over you were warned and that  she would also eventually get to the sports and here you are. Templeton is still trying to undig themselves from what she did to them and it will take YEARS!
You threw our school into chaos and despair and now you act stupid like what the hell happened!
Your ignorance happened, you allowing  our principal and Mike Duprey and Cathy HH leaving and valuable teachers. You closed your ears to what was happening and the destruction she was creating right under your damn noses!
Astronomical raises while teachers are losing their damn jobs .. what the hell is wrong with you! As it stands you ALL need to be fired and Miller needs to see the door with the rest she brought here .
Your a damn disgrace ALL OF YOU on this committee but especially you Pat  and  ALL because you couldn't do your damn jobs and listen to what was being put in front of you.
You lost school choice from this BS.. and you have parents searching out other schools for their children's education  because you would not listen to them and it was ALL happening in front of you and even the kids told you they no longer felt safe in their own school!  Great job. 
PVRS is done and I can see the state closing this school and its all on you and especially you Pat and Young.
Trust me your nightmare has only begun shes not done yet .

NORTHFIELD — Once again, Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee is left searching for places to make cuts after more concrete budget figures show the district needs another $282,514 to balance the books for the current school year.
The budget subcommittee learned about the shortfall in its approximately $14.1 million budget this week from Superintendent Ruth Miller who projected the deficit if no cuts are made.
She said the deficit resulted primarily from the district receiving $303,601 less in regional transportation reimbursement than Miller anticipated.
Having just been audited by accounting and tax firm Melanson Heath for FY16, which yielded equally troubling figures, subcommittee member David Young explained auditors Tanya Campbell and Patrice Squillante recommended revisiting the current budget “to make sure we haven’t launched into FY18 with a structural deficit.”
“We’re not going to make it to the end of the year, going by the auditors,” subcommittee member Jeanne Milton added.

Reading a letter from Melanson Heath, School Committee Chairwoman Patricia Shearer explained FY16’s audit also found a nearly $400,000 structural budget deficit. FY16 was Miller’s first year as superintendent.
Miller said Campbell and Squillante will attend Thursday’s School Committee meeting to explain their findings. Neither could be reached Friday afternoon.
The auditors’ suggestions include hiring an outside firm to catch up on the treasurer’s work as “the bank accounts have not been reconciled for many months” and hiring a temporary business manager. Currently, Miller acts as both superintendent and district business manager.
Additionally, in both FY15 and FY16 audits, the auditors have been unable to locate a comprehensive budget document. Subcommittee member Peggy Kaeppel said Squillante recommended getting a template for such a document from the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials.
Concern expressed The figures elicited great concern from those attending the meeting.
“I’m very concerned every meeting I come to,” said Leyden Finance Committee Chairwoman Michele Giarusso, who is also chairwoman of the regional HEART Committee, a Pioneer support group. “It’s just negative, negative, negative, and we keep getting deeper and deeper into trouble.”
“You have come into the year with less than zero, and that’s why we’re having problems,” Bernardston Selectman Robert Raymond told the subcommittee. “And nobody knows what the figure is. I as a town official have no faith in this … We haven’t been able to compare anything in the past few years.”
Richard Fontaine, another member of the HEART Committee and former School Committee member, said the budget isn’t presented with transparency.
“We’ve got some very high price people and they’re not making correct decisions,” Fontaine exclaimed.
Given significant cuts to staffing at Pioneer, John Rodgers thought the cuts should have saved the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Where did it all go?” he asked.
Bernardston Finance Committee Chairwoman Jane Dutcher also pointed to the rising school lunch deficit, which subcommittee members estimated to be around $250,000.
Future cuts The subcommittee began brainstorming ways to cut $282,514 out of the current budget. Paying Bernardston Elementary School Principal Bob Clancy $10,000 to also serve as Pearl Rhodes Elementary School principal, instead of the $52,800 the district had paid former Pearl Rhodes Principal Deanna Leblanc, saves $42,800.
As School Resource Officer Igor Komerzan recently resigned, some committee members proposed not refilling the position, which would save the district about $28,000.
Other suggestions included cutting Pioneer Assistant Principal Jennifer Albert Perry or Assistant Superintendent Gail Healy, eliminating one or two additional buses, cutting four classroom instructional assistants at the elementary school level, using a payroll service instead of a clerk, and decreasing the sports budget.
“We have protected sports for my entire affiliation with the school district, which is 30 years,” said Cathy Hawkins-Harrison, whose dean of students position was cut from the current year’s budget. “But there’s a part of me that says if we touched sports, we’d have to have this meeting in the auditorium, because parents would be up in arms!”
Sharon Fontaine recalled serious cuts to the sports budget in the late 1980s.
“It was heart wrenching,” she said. “But we kept the school going.”
No cuts or budgeting solutions were voted on during the meeting. The budget subcommittee plans to meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Pioneer, where it is expected to vote on recommendations for cuts to bring to the full School Committee during Thursday’s meeting, also at 7 p.m. at Pioneer.

doggone it????????

Hmmmmmm..... I am sure their is alot more to this story than we are being told. Time to dig and will get back to you when I hear more.

NORTHFIELD — Shortly after starting his second school year as Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s school resource officer (SRO), Igor Komerzan is resigning, the Selectboard announced Tuesday.
Selectboard Chairman Jack Spanbauer said the decision was finalized last week, with Komerzan continuing in his position as both SRO and a full-time Northfield police officer through Sept. 29. However, he will continue as a part-time reserve officer for Northfield, effective Sept. 30.
“Igor Komerzan is going to change careers,” Spanbauer announced during Tuesday’s meeting. “He was an excellent police officer for Northfield (and) a great school resource officer. All I can say is doggone it.”
“It’s unfortunate that he won’t be able to continue as the school resource officer, but I wish him all the best,” Northfield Police Chief Robert Leighton said in a phone call Tuesday night. “He’s going to be hard to replace.”
Both Leighton and Spanbauer declined to elaborate on what Komerzan’s new career will be.

Leighton selected Komerzan as the SRO prior to the start of last school year, after a new state mandate required all school districts to employ at least one SRO for the 2016-2017 school year and beyond. Leighton commended Komerzan as being a good communicator who worked well with students, from whom Leighton received positive feedback about Komerzan.
Spanbauer said the positions will be posted online, and Leighton added he is working on a plan for restaffing that should be more finalized by the end of next week, when Komerzan will be leaving.
“I think it’s important to have a school resource officer at Pioneer,” Leighton said. “(But) not anybody can walk in and be a resource officer … I want to make sure it’s the right person.”

So lets be clear here

So lets be clear here : Its OK for an  Administration that bullies teachers and harasses students, but its not OK to go to the SC concerning this because it violates their rights if stated in open meeting ? Are you kidding me. You just gave them both an open slate to continue down the same path of abuse. Maybe someone should of pointed out how children of color were Bacon's targets when she first arrived and that one parent removed her child due to she did not feel he would be safe at that school or get a proper education. Do you call that right? Your also saying Bullying is acceptable if done by a Administrator. SERIOUSLY?
Why would you bring lawyers if you had nothing to hide? I know why Miller would same reason she did it at the last few schools she was at , her abuse to teachers and others is way outta hand. Wheres their rights? Wheres the rights of the teachers who spoke out against both Miller and Bacon who are now unemployed ? This school has been bleeding administrators and teachers since they both arrived! Many have jumped ship who have been here for many years .. we now lost a band teacher who was one of the greatest in the state, he moved as soon as his daughter graduated and who didn't see that coming! He loved this school and its students he knew like the rest of us PVRS is running on borrowed time. However, Cathy HH award --- Priceless.

As for Pat Shearer .. she has been approached on many occasions by many teachers and she did NOTHING . We lost so much the first year Miller was here and the downward spiral has just deepen and continues to fall. From being told by a special committee not to hire Miller to pushing Dorion out, its all been a disaster  and its all on you Pat .  PVRS is dying from the inside out and nobody hears its cries. Students have spoken out, teachers have tried as well all to fall on deaf ears and be fired. Be guaranteed Pat as we have told you before you will be the first Miller throws under the bus.

As for Bacon and Miller they are both working off the same script . Being a follower not a leader Miller provides all the information for Bacon to follow and when push comes to shove she too will be thrown under that bus with Pat and anyone who speaks out against her.

Yes,Jeanne Milton the students have lost , they lost their beloved Mr Duprey and teachers because they spoke out against Miller and Bacon and Perry .. they lost more than they should of and this is not on anyone's head but the school committees who did nothing from day one.

Lets do a test on Bacon and Perry - Tell us how many of the kids do you know by name from last years 7th grade class? I can tell you and so can others Mike Duprey would of  known all of them. I bet money you don't . What did you teach them last year as first year students ? I bet you didn't even make an effort while you were to busy checking cars and bathrooms. However, ask any kid who knew Mike.. and they will tell you he taught them respect for others as well as themselves, to reach for the stars and believe in yourselves that any dream was reachable if you wanted it and to be kind to one another . They also knew he was available to them and supportive. I have NOT heard one positive thing about either of you  from students and kids are still wondering what Perry does. This SC is what was traded ..  Or how about Cathy HH? I can also tell you she would of  known them also by name  and she could be hard but kids respected her and went to her .. again this is what you traded . So yes, Jeanne Milton the kids have lost more than you seem to comprehend or any of you on that committee. I will give the SC this in 2 short years you have managed to destroy a great school and spirit that will be forever lost. Good Job. Hows that Karma feeling now?

NORTHFIELD — Prior to an anticipated executive session Thursday, the Pioneer Valley Regional School District School Committee voted against hearing complaints involving Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon and Superintendent Ruth Miller.
Bacon and Miller attended the meeting accompanied by their respective attorneys, Sheilah McCarthy and Michael Long. McCarthy argued Bacon’s rights had been “trampled on” when the committee allowed people to air complaints against her during public meetings, which McCarthy said occurred on three occasions.
“The open meeting law does not allow you to hear complaints in open session,” explained Russell Dupere, the school district’s attorney.
The law states a public body may discuss an employee evaluation, applicants for a position or the qualifications of an individual in open session, but only “to the extent that the discussion deals with issues other than the reputation, character, health, or any complaints or charges against the individual.”

http://www.mass.gov/ago/government-resources/open-meeting-law/attorney-generals-open-meeting-law-guide.html

In such cases, an executive session is called, as was the case Thursday. The law states the individual being discussed has the right to be present — but can choose not to attend — and can choose at that point to have the discussion in open session. Both Bacon and Miller requested that should the complaints be heard, they be heard in open session.

After committee member David Young asked fellow members Jim Bell, John Rodgers and Sharon Fontaine to recuse themselves from the meeting because as district employees they’re under supervision from Bacon and Miller, the remaining members voted 5 to 4 not to hear the complaints. Dupere added the committee could be fined if the three stayed, should the State Ethics Commission determine a conflict of interest.
Additionally, the attorneys asserted committee Chairwoman Patricia Shearer solicited complaints about Bacon and Miller, “looking for specific wrongdoings,” Long said.
Shearer disagreed.
“When I was approached by some staff members who had concerns about things that were happening at Pioneer, I said ‘We want to hear them,’” Shearer replied, saying she hoped Thursday’s meeting would “start some healing. ... My ears were open to anything staff had to say. I think that people did not understand I was not requesting.”
Other members, like Sue O’Reilly-McRae, emphasized their belief in the importance of hearing public concerns, saying it “feels like a complete failure in our duty as a public body” to bypass them.
Still others hoped to move away from criticism.

“We’re using so much energy on complaints and negativity that the students have had to have lost out,” said committee member Jeanne Milton.

We have an UPDATE

It seems their was a meeting at the school last night  held in Executive session behind closed doors concerning the Administration and the SC. It was done at the last minute and no announcement except from Gail Healy wanting people to come to support Miller. ( Of course she would after receiving a  hefty raise for 2018, $11,180.00 to be exact. She can't balance a lunch program but we give her a raise. Priceless.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6az_Rkk2vEcbm8yd3VXM1Q5NEk/view  ) However, it seem to of gotten shut down quickly by no other than Paul Young.( we are working on finding out why) Why wasn't this meeting open? Were the other teachers who were bounced out given the opportunity to speak or even notified? It seems in the last couple of years nothing but behind the scenes secrecy has been going on with this committee and Administration. Teachers who have been at PVRS for years have been fired or left , to be replaced with unqualified personnel.  Now, it seems the Principal of Pearl Rhodes  has also left to better pastures, do I believe what Miller said , absolutely not .Now we have a principal doing two schools and this does not seem to be a proper way to handle a school of any size. It was in the budget to have a principal at this school, can anyone say  "misappropriation of funds"? They are giving the principal working two schools an extra 10,000.00 so wheres the rest of the money going that was intended for this position?
So taxpayers are you angry enough yet? We warned you about Miller. This school committee can pretty much tell you whatever they want and you suck it up only to find out down the road it was more lies. Example: Millers first year report .. that was in simple terms lying bullshit! They knew than and now she was a bad choice and that was done simply to cover themselves for NOT doing their jobs. Now it has spiraled so outta control it can no longer be hidden. Suggestion taxpayers get a full audit  by a private company outta the SC and Millers control.

Next step is to contact the state, this is now spiraling outta control. Miller has always  stated she cannot release information as to why a teacher or Administrator leaves yet here she is giving all kind of excuses.. ah no! This is Miller trying to cover her ass. Listen you know we will not get answers from this useless School Committee or Administration and so the only other way to get help for our schools is to contact Mass Dept of Education .

Will update when we hear more. The school year begins and not on a good note , who could of guessed that .

LEYDEN — Bernardston Elementary School Principal Bob Clancy is taking on a new role this year, doubling as Pearl Rhodes Elementary School’s principal in neighboring Leyden.
Clancy stepped in to replace former principal Deanna Leblanc, who announced last month she accepted another job and would not return for the 2017-2018 school year.
Though efforts to reach Leblanc were unsuccessful, Gateway Regional School District’s website shows Leblanc as the assistant principal of Gateway Regional Middle and High School in Huntington.
Pioneer Valley Regional School District Superintendent Ruth Miller suggested during the School Committee meeting she felt Leblanc found another job due to the discussion about potentially closing Pearl Rhodes — which currently has 33 students according to Administrative Assistant Carolyn Curtis. However, no decisions have been made regarding closure.
“It’s been conversation in the town of Leyden, and maybe Deanna was feeling nervous that the school would close while she was there,” Miller said. “She has a family and she felt like she needed to find another job. So it’s very short notice.”

Leblanc worked as Pearl Rhodes principal for one year, serving concurrently as early education coordinator for the district as Christine Maguire had done before her. Renee Keir, a teacher at Bernardston Elementary, will now double as early education coordinator.
Miller said because of discussion around potentially closing Pearl Rhodes, and because of the school’s close proximity to Bernardston Elementary (a 13-minute commute), she thought having Clancy work as principal for both seemed like the best decision. Though $52,800 was budgeted for Leblanc’s salary, Clancy will receive an extra $10,000 for his additional services, Miller said.
Clancy, who has been Bernardston Elementary’s principal for seven years, said that for the time being, his being Pearl Rhodes’ principal is a one-year assignment. He believes administrators may assess in mid-winter how the situation is working and whether it’s important for Pearl Rhodes to have its own principal.
“For the moment, I really am going back and forth between the two buildings, making sure everyone is getting the attention they deserve,” Clancy said of balancing his responsibilities.
Clancy plans to craft a more routine schedule, and work on getting to know students and their families at Pearl Rhodes, the school he feels is “really the sister school to Bernardston.”
“If the other needs me, I will hop right back over,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m 100 percent for both. Obviously I can’t be in both buildings at the same time, but I want to make it work.”
Town officials seem to have mixed feelings about the new arrangement. Some in the audience expressed concern about how Clancy could balance Pearl Rhodes, with 33 students, and Bernardston Elementary, with 158 students, while others were happy to find a solution so last minute.
“I, as a town official, feel Bernardston is entitled to and should have a full-time principal,” Bernardston Selectman Robert Raymond said, adding that Clancy is out of the building frequently enough for administrative meetings.
“I think Leyden is fortunate to have Bob step in at the last minute,” Leyden Selectman Jeffrey Neipp said. “It might give the superintendent and the School Committee some additional revenue that’s needed elsewhere in the district.”
Students and families interested in meeting Clancy are encouraged to attend open houses on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m. at Bernardston Elementary and Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at Pearl Rhodes.