QUICK STUDY: The Salem High School Principal Controversy

SALEM, MA — Parents are upset about the sudden resignation of Salem High School Principal Jennifer DeStefano and the just-as-sudden hiring of Vittoria Pacifico, a former private school principal, last month. The latest development in the story was a forum for parents to meet Pacifico Thursday night which turned into a chance for parents to vent their frustration to school officials.

"It makes us feel like... again, there's some backdoor shenanigans going on, and I need to make sure that isn't happening," Danise Mendonca, a high school parent, said according to the Salem News, which covered the forum.

If you haven't been following the developments on a daily basis, now's your chance to catch up. We've compiled coverage of the controversy from Patch and other media outlets that cover Salem to offer this explainer on what is happening and what could happen next.

Story at a glance:

• Jennifer DeStefano resigned as principal of Salem High School on March 13, less than a year after taking the job in July 2018. She has since told the Salem News she did not feel supported by administrators as she tried to turn around the struggling school. "Working under those conditions any longer wasn't the right thing to do. It was clear that it wasn't going to work out," she said.
• On the same day DeStefano resigned, Superintendent Margarita Ruiz announced Vittoria Pacifico had been hired as her interim replacement. Pacifico does not have the proper license for public school principals in Massachusetts, a fact Ruiz dismissed as a "non-issue" because she has 90 days to get the license or apply for a waiver.
• Pacifico contacted Salem Public Schools as early as Jan. 29 about an unadvertised, interim high school principal position as early as Jan. 29. She interviewed for the job on Feb. 4 and was offered the position on Feb. 14, a month before DeStefano resigned. On Thursday, the blog Keep It Klassy, Salem published emails showing the timeline of Pacifico's hiring.

Parents Perceive Principal Was Forced Out

In a March 20 letter to the Salem News, Ruiz said she began doing due-diligence on DeStefano's replacement when it became clear she was "not the right fit." She began reviewing Pacifico's credentials to be prepared for a "potential parting of ways with DeStefano.

"The timing of this leadership change did not afford me the ability to conduct the community engaged process that I deeply value in selecting school leaders."

But in a Feb. 26 email posted by Keep It Klassy, Salem, Ruiz told Pacifico "Posting the position would involve having to run a [hiring] process at the school level and I am trying to avoid this situation. These repeated processes would de-stabilize the school and complicate matters".

DeStefano, for her part, said in her interview with the Salem News, that she had not idea that Ruiz was working on finding her replacement. She said she found out Pacifico had been hired when colleagues contacted her on the afternoon she submitted her resignation.

"You might be fantastic, but now you're thrown into a hot mess," Mendonca, the Salem High parent, told Pacifico at Thursday's forum.

What Happens Next

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, who also chairs the school committee, said the issue would be taken up at school committee meetings scheduled for April 8 and 22 in the School Committee chambers at Collins Middle School, 29 Highland Avenue, at 7 pm.

"I know, from some of the emails I've gotten and information I've gotten from folks, that some are uneasy and restless about this transition. And maybe that's kind," Driscoll told the 50 or so people at Thursday's forum. "School Committee members are deeply concerned and are taking issues like this very seriously. We think it's important that we have an open, communicative dialog to have discussions and conversations with stakeholders, and we think that's a weak spot in the district."

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).