The Easthampton School Committee has again rejected the district’s top pick for superintendent who wrote “ladies” in an email, as the school board moved toward hiring an interim superintendent following a disaster of a search process.
It has been such a mess for the small western Massachusetts town that one parent told the school board Tuesday evening that he’s pulling his kids out of the district.
Vito Perrone lost his job offer when he used the term “ladies” in an email to the committee chair, and then the second choice for the district, Erica Faginski-Stark, withdrew herself from running the school system amid students reporting her past Facebook posts.
On Tuesday evening, a few residents called for the School Committee to again offer the superintendent position to Perrone, and a board member tried one more time for Perrone — the interim superintendent of West Springfield Public Schools.
The School Committee voted 2-5 for Perrone, the same outcome as a couple weeks ago when the committee voted to not re-enter negotiations with Perrone.
“To heal our community, the best possible solution as requested by the majority of our teachers, the teachers union and our students, as well as people who are our constituents, the majority by far would like us to enter into negotiations with Dr. Vito Perrone,” said committee member Laurie Garcia who motioned to enter into negotiations with him.
This is “the only way we can work towards healing this community and showing what a true teachable moment is,” she later added.
Garcia again couldn’t convince the majority of the board.
“I voted no in the public votes,” said board member Megan Harvey. “I have seen nothing in this time period that indicates anything that would change my mind.”
A couple weeks ago, the School Committee voted to not re-enter contract negotiations with Perrone and to instead offer the job to Faginski-Stark, the director of Curriculum and Instruction at Ludlow Public Schools. On that same night, students emailed the Easthampton mayor about their “extreme concerns” with Faginski-Stark.
The Facebook posts that the students shared were from 2021. One of the posts included a link for a petition to “Defend Title IX,” which stated that “only girls should play girls’ sports!”
The news of Perrone losing his job offer after he called the committee chair and her assistant “ladies” in an email went viral earlier this month. Residents ripped the School Committee for rescinding the offer and urged the board to give him another chance.
Steve Tataro, a parent with three kids in the school system, told board members he was listening to the meeting on Tuesday “for honestly the amusement aspect because I’ve already begun the process of pulling my children out of the school. So, at this point, unfortunately to say, just here for the ride.”
The third superintendent candidate was Jonathan Bruno, the director of learning and teaching for Berkshire Hills Regional School District. Instead of offering him the position on Tuesday, the School Committee decided to move toward having an interim superintendent for the next year.
Committee member Benjamin Hersey said, “I really think it’s time to put this particular search away and start fresh next year.”