School Committee to Casey: Middle School Leadership Needs Immediate Change

Editor's note: This article was updated on Wednesday, June 29 at 9:25 p.m. with additional comments from Mayor Rob Dolan.

The Melrose School Committee, during the course of its annual evaluation of Superintendent Joe Casey last night, sent a message to the superintendent: Someone in a leadership position at the middle school has to go.

Committee members took great pains to not mention anyone by name or even a specific title so as to avoid talking about a personnel issue in a public meeting, but the committee's directive to Casey came across clear in each members' comments and by the low marks given to Casey on his evaluation in the Personnel Management category.

Tasked with rating Casey on a scale of 0 (unacceptable) to 4 (outstanding), the committee gave Casey an average score of 1.2 in Personnel Management.

Committee member J.D. LaRock came to closest to outright identifying the staff member on the tip of the committee's collective tongue last night, when he told Casey, "We need to confront the leadership issue at the middle school." LaRock said the longer the district waits to take action, the more of an "albatross" the situation will become.

Chairwoman Margaret Driscoll said that Casey does an "excellent job" of working with staff members, mentoring them and helping them develop as educators.

"I think it's a gift, and I really appreciate that," Driscoll said, before stating bluntly, "On the other hand, I think there are people in this district who absolutely do not belong here."

In that respect, Driscoll said Casey's "gift" of mentoring staff members may actually be a hindrance, as the district tries to bring along and train staff who are not a good fit. She pointed to two early exits by new relatively new staff members last fall as an example of the district recognizing when a staff situation is not working out.

Committee member Kristin Thorp also spoke about Casey's collegial nature as hindering him, a theme that reoccured throughout the evaluation last night and carried over from last year's evaluation.

"Your very collegial personality sometimes means you bend over backwards to accommodate people we maybe just need to say aren’t working," Thorp said. "Sometimes I think you’re doing their job, and that means you’re not doing your own."

An unresolved personnel issue at the middle school is long-standing and known to the district, committee member Carrie Kourkoumelis said, adding that the situation is an "object of widespread concern in the community.

"This is unacceptable and a direct reflection of administrative failure on the part of the superintendent," Kourkoumelis said.

Mayor Rob Dolan said that "there are some managers who are average or OK. They have been allowed to continue when it is clearly known they will not get our school department from good to great." Dolan said Casey should look at every management position at the secondary level and "make changes immediately."

In a follow-up email sent to Melrose Patch on Wednesday afternoon, Dolan clarified that he was not speaking about the current principal or assistant principal at MVMMS.

"I see the experience, knowledge and dedication of educational leaders like Principal Tom Brow and Assistant Principal Marty Stanton as keys to secondary school improvement and critical as we introduce a new principal at MHS," Dolan said in the email. "Their commitment and dedication to Melrose students and public education is clear, and proven, and they are part of the solution as we move forward. ”

Committee member Christine Casatelli said that personnel management is an area that needs "great improvement" in Melrose Schools.

"As other members have mentioned, there are some members in the administration—and I’ve talked with the superintendent about this—that I think are holding our school district back," Casatelli said. "If we’re going to get to the next level, we need some hard choices to be made."

Check back to Melrose Patch for a comprehensive look at the results of the superintendent's annual evaluation.