Tewksbury Superintendent: Principal's Departure Caused 'Stress'

TEWKSBURY, MA -- Superintendent Christopher Malone the departure of Trahan Elementary School Principal Matthew Castonguay has "created stress, feelings of uncertainty, and questions about the future of the leadership" at the school. Malone made his comments in a letter to parents at the school, and referred to "Castonguay’s announcement of his resignation." Parents contend the popular principal was forced to resign when Malone declined to renew his contract.

Castonguay's resignation is effective June 30, after the school year ends. Malone has declined comment because it is a personnel matter. Castonguay and all five elected members of the Tewksbury School Committee have not responded to requests from Patch for comment.

Malone's letter to parents asked them to complete online survey "to solicit feedback as to the characteristics and skills, desired by parents, in the next Trahan Elementary School Principal." He also asked for a "couple of parent volunteers" to sit on the interview team that will screen candidates for Castonguay's replacement.

"It is important that we all work together to ensure the process of selecting a new principal is collaborative and reflects the values we all see as important in a new leader of the Trahan," Malone said.

Last week a group of about 20 parents and teachers attended the Tewksbury School Committee meeting in hopes of getting a more detailed explanation on why Castonguay's contract was not renewed. The school committee also cited personnel reasons for not discussing the matter and limited public comment to five speakers who were capped at two minutes a piece.

Castonguay was named interim principal of the school at the start of the 2014-15 school year and named the permanent principal in February 2015. His tenure has been marked by steady improvement in most areas analyzed on state standardized tests that measure school performance. Parents have said that, beyond improving academic performance, Castonguay created a positive environment in the close-knit school community.

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Patch file photo of Tewksbury Superintendent Christopher Malone.

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