Fosters – SAU 44 Board upholds school superintendent’s firing
NORTHWOOD — After four lengthy sessions spread over the past two months, the SAU 44 Joint School Board late Tuesday upheld its decision to fire Superintendent Judith McGann with cause.
The 8-3 vote to terminate her with cause means the board does not have to pay her for the remainder of her contract. McGann was fired in early September.
Members of the joint board — representing school boards of Northwood, Nottingham and Strafford — deliberated on a series of seven questions centering on whether McGann did wrong as superintendent and if that wrongdoing was grounds for firing.
Dean Eggert, hearing moderator, said there were four grounds for termination: immorality, incompetence, insubordination or failure to abide by the laws and regulations of the state of New Hampshire, the Board of Education, the SAU Joint School Board or the local school boards.
A major point of discussion Monday night, the third of three public sessions on McGann’s firing, regarded a letter from auditor Dachon Clukay and Co. addressed to the Northwood School Board. On Tuesday, the board voted McGann did have a responsibility to inform the board of the letter, by a vote of 8-3.
Some School Board members argued she did not have malicious intent in hiding the letter.
Dave O’Brien, member of the Nottingham School Board, said, “Maybe she should have given us the heads up, but she was only trying to do it to keep us from coming unglued unnecessarily.”
Lynda Powers, member of the Strafford School Board, said that since the letter was addressed to the Northwood School Board, it was not McGann’s duty to think of how the board would react to the letter.
“What we do know is we were never shown the letter,” Powers said.
The board unanimously voted it was McGann’s duty to report auditor concerns of certain books being unable to be audited.
Another prominent issue of the hearing has been a substantial amount of stipends paid for with grant money while McGann was superintendent.
The board voted 9-2 that McGann was required to inform the board of stipends.
Joan Breault of the Nottingham School Board said it “would have been a courtesy” if McGann had informed the board of the stipends but was not required to tell them because they had given her authorization over grants.
Jason Grant of the Strafford School Board said that although they gave her control over grants, that did not give her permission to do as she wished without keeping the board informed.
The board also voted 8-3 that McGann made payments of stipends without board approval.
The board voted unanimously that McGann was responsible for time and efforts report of grant work and that she failed in that responsibility. During one of the first sessions of the hearing there was question as to whether time and effort reports had been filed appropriately.
The board also voted 10-1 that McGann filed false certification when she indicated a 2007 audit report had been submitted, when it was actually an audit from 2005-2006 that had been submitted.
When asked if she had wrongfully told former Business Administrator Bill Tappan to withhold information, the board voted she did not, by a vote of 9-2.
Powers said the board did not have enough information to determine the validity of the accusation, saying it was a “he said, she said” matter.
McGann’s attorney had warned the joint board Monday night that if she were terminated with cause, this would not be the last round of litigation.