Education

Easthampton will seek interim superintendent, pause search after ‘ladies’ brouhaha

“I really think it’s time to put this particular search away and start fresh next year,” one Easthampton School Committee member said.

The municipal building at 50 Payson Ave. in Easthampton in 2020. Google Maps

By Abby Patkin

1 minute to read

Following a chaotic saga that saw one candidate lose his job offer after referring to school officials as “ladies,” and another candidate back out amid controversy over past Facebook posts, Easthampton is pausing its superintendent search. 

In a meeting Tuesday, the Easthampton School Committee decided to search for a one-year interim superintendent rather than vote on a third candidate, MassLive reported. 

“Having the interim for one year would hopefully quiet things down some,” committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski said, according to MassLive. “We would do a superintendent search process come mid-winter and start this process all over again.”

More on the Easthampton superintendent search:

In late March, school officials first offered the job to Vito Perrone, the interim superintendent of schools in West Springfield and one of three superintendent finalists. A week later, the school committee rescinded his offer after he greeted two school officials as “ladies” in a negotiations email. Kwiecinski, one of the women Perrone had addressed, later said that the candidate’s salary and paid time off requests also played a role in the rescinded offer.

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The school committee’s second choice, Ludlow Public Schools Director of Curriculum and Instruction Erica Faginski-Stark, initially accepted an offer but later withdrew after students flagged prior Facebook posts that appeared to concern transgender women competing in athletic competitions. 

While some in Easthampton rallied around Perrone and maintained support for the former Easthampton High School principal, school committee members twice voted not to re-enter contract negotiations with him. The second failed attempt, a motion at Tuesday’s meeting, only garnered support from two of the seven committee members, according to MassLive. 

School officials complimented the third remaining superintendent finalist, Berkshire Hills Regional School District Director of Teaching and Learning Jonathan Bruno, but declined to vote on whether to offer him the job, citing his lack of experience, MassLive reported. 

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“I really think it’s time to put this particular search away and start fresh next year,” committee member Benjamin Hersey said, according to the Boston Herald.

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Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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