Union says NL school board member went too far
Allegations include calling for resignation of elementary school principal over safety walk
New London — The union representing New London school administrators has filed a grievance against school board member Jason Catala, accusing him of unwarranted public criticism of an elementary school principal who he publicly criticized and called on to resign.
The union alleges Catala violated a union agreement and school board policies when he called for Harbor Elementary School Principal Jason Foster to resign following a controversial “safety walk” by kindergartners at the school. The walk coincided with a national school walkout on March 14 aimed at school safety and against gun violence.
Catala had criticized the walk and called for Foster’s resignation on social media and in an interview with The Day when he said he learned from the superintendent that Foster apparently did not have knowledge of the walk. He said the children walking along a sidewalk on Montauk Avenue put them at risk and the incident demonstrated “a lack of leadership in the building,” since it was not sanctioned by the school district.
The union also takes issue with Catala having several middle school administrators remain seated in front of the full school board while he called for a vote on cutting one of their positions. The meeting, during budget deliberations, was being streamed live.
Filed on March 23 by the executive board of the New London Administrators’ Education Association, the grievance alleges a violation of the school board’s agreement with the union, including a section that states the school board “recognizes its obligation to protect the administrator from undue harassment, embarrassment or unwarranted public notoriety.” It also alleges Catala violated school board policies pertaining to conflicts of interest, the code of ethics and limits to authority, among others.
First step
The board eventually could move to reprimand Catala with a two-thirds majority vote. It remains unclear, however, if the grievance will even reach the school board. While it initially was included in the agenda for Thursday’s regular meeting, the first step in a union grievance is for action by the school superintendent. Public discussion by the board on the matter is not expected at Thursday’s meeting.
Union Vice President Tommy Thompson confirmed that the first step in the grievance process “rests at the superintendent level.” If the union is not satisfied with the superintendent’s response, Thompson said presentation of the grievance to the Board of Education is the next step.
Union President Carlos Leal was not available to comment.
Interim Superintendent Stephen Tracy said he expects to have a conversation with the union but said it was unclear if there were any actions he could take to resolve the issue on his own.
Catala, a Democrat who is in his seventh term on the school board, has been criticized in the past by fellow school board members for social media posts related to school board issues and his outspoken criticism of what he calls a school district “top heavy with administrators.”
His criticism of Foster appears to fly in the face of standard school board procedure, which is to discuss personnel issues in closed-door meetings to protect district employees and shield the board from potential liabilities.
No apology forthcoming
While irritated by the grievance, Catala said Tuesday he hasn’t changed his mind about speaking up about anything he feels is important.
“The union wants to shut someone up that is speaking up. If the intent here is to set a precedent, it’s not going to work,” Catala said.
“It’s my job to see we’re fiscally responsible and our students are safe. The main thing I’m trying to get across is I report to the citizens of New London. I don’t report to the administration. There’ll be no apologies. I’m not apologizing for something I feel very strongly about. I made my opinion known,” he said.
Catala said he awaits more details of what occurred at the school on the day of the walk and said he has requested from the superintendent a full report of the circumstances surrounding the walk at Harbor School, a timeline of what occurred and who knew about it, along with the policies related to taking kindergartners out of school. He said he has not yet gotten a response.
He said it was unclear to him why his calling for a cut to an administrator’s position in their presence at a school board meeting is an issue. The grievance does not note the date of the meeting.
The administrators’ union, in its grievance, cites numerous portions of school board policy, such as the conflict-of-interest bylaw that states, “No Board member shall use his or her position to influence an employment or contractual decision other than those routinely made by the Board itself.”