Call for Disciplinary Action Against School Chief

A Marblehead School Committee member is calling for disciplinary action against Superintendent Paul Dulac, saying the school chief broke state law by hiring a business manager without the School Committee even knowing about it.

Dulac hired Paul Salzer this spring, luring him away from Swampscott where Salzer spent one year as high school principal.

School Committee Chairwoman Patricia Blackmer confirmed the hiring on June 4 saying, "Dr. Dulac hired Mr. Salzer and expressed enthusiasm for Mr. Salzer's broad range of experience and his educational perspective."

School Committee member Jonathan Lederman and fellow School Committee member Dick Nohelty said they were surprised to learn about the hiring in a media report.

State law gives school committtees the power to hire business managers, according to Glenn Koocher, director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

"The school committee can ask the superintendent for recommendations," Koocher said. "But the candidate has to be hired by the school committee."

That's what has Lederman fuming and calling for disciplinary action against Dulac.

"This is a violation of policies," Lederman said. "It's pretty outrageous."

Lederman is also upset at Salzer's salary, which he said is $22,000 more than the $103,000 budgeted for the position.

"We can't fund foreign language expansion," he said. "But we're supposed to pay this much more for a business manager."

Lederman also questioned Salzer's background, which he said doesn't include any business experience.

"This town is facing difficult fiscal times," he said. "We need an experienced business director."

 Dulac is on medical leave until next month. Interim Superintendent Bob Bellucci declined to comment today except to say, "This will all be worked out at Thursday night's School Committee meeting." 

The issue will be discussed in executive session, closed to the public, after the meeting Thursday night.