New SOMA Group Demands Immediate Reinstatement of CHS Principal

July 3, 2018

Statement from the Newly Formed
Emergency Committee to Reinstate Principal Aaron

Within days following a surprise email on the evening of Saturday, June 30, more than 560 members of the Columbia High School (CHS) community have mobilized on social media to form and join the “Emergency Committee to Reinstate Principal Aaron” (ECRPA) - with a first rally planned outside of CHS administrative offices (525 Academy Street, Maplewood) on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 10:00am.

As taxpayers and parents of past, current and future CHS students, we as ECRPA members are outraged that Ms. Aaron was removed from her position abruptly, and without any clearly-stated or apparent cause. We are also deeply troubled by the release of this information on a Saturday night before a holiday week -- clearly an attempt to bury this news and hope it blows over.

It will not.Ms. Aaron’s combination of skills, energy and warmth make her uniquely qualified to succeed in a complex and challenging high school environment. She is at once an excellent administrator, a visionary and leader, a tremendous communicator and excellent mentor -- excelling at one-on-one communications with both students and staff at CHS. She stands in the doorway of CHS every morning and greets students by name. She proudly attends an unending series of CHS events, whether sport, academic or club-related. She has creatively stretched CHS’ insufficient funds and resources in ways that have bettered the lives of our children and of students who are yet to walk through CHS’s doors.

We will not sit back and accept the disturbing and poorly communicated decision of an Interim Superintendent and Board of Education (BOE). We demand the immediate reinstatement of Elizabeth Aaron to Principal of CHS. We also demand that the SOMSD administration upholds our beloved community’s values of fairness and democracy in addressing this matter.We are tired of seeing excellent educators and administrators brought into our district, only to lose them just as they’ve had the opportunity to hit their stride.

ECRPA will organize rallies, petition drives and other actions until Principal Aaron is returned to CHS. Additionally, ECRPA is taking initial steps to force a recall vote for the BOE.

ECRPA urges all concerned SOMSD parents, students, teachers and administrators to join in the July 10 rally and sign up to learn about other activities. You can find us by searching our name on Facebook.

Contact:

Eric Shorter, ECRPA Spokesperson
917-903-8536 | shorter.eric@gmail.com

Sampling of 560 Founding Members who endorse this Statement

Margaret Gray
Elizabeth Payne
Gina Provenzano
Eddy Bikales
Danna Seltzer
Natalie K Fisher, PhD
Sandra Wansley
Nahum Kianovsky
Terrie Nelson-Johnson
Kathy Krais
Jacqueline Lahey
April Heeren
Bill Krais
Elizabeth Cunningham Herring
Jen Levine Drechsler
Jo-Anne Callahan
Michael Goldberg
Margaret Gray
Anne Simms
Jane Kampner
Margaret Gray
Tim Gray
Timothy Gray
Dillon Gray
Shannon Gray
Finnola Gray
Molly Gray
Sue Ryan Goodman
Lawrence Lipkin
Peg McBrien
Patti Moore
Katie Wissel
Melanie Sim
Stuart Sim
Reba Auslander-Stevens
Mary Fisk
Liz Dornfeld
Sara Thom
Marc Hanes
Michael Fagin
Karen Leies
Hans Hummel
Ilana Bryant
Jasmine Chay
Hugh Cohen
Michael Laskowski
Noelle Harteveld
Christopher Trzaska
Tracy Tyson
Mary Brown
Candice Davenport
Paul Davenport
Mindi Farran
Maggie Kritzberg
Liz Barenholtz
Martin Lipp
Eileen Kaden Dean
Alice Hirsch
Larry Hirsch
Natasha Kreizman
Kristina Raines
Anne E. Boyce
Erica Anthony
Gabriel Anthony
Aron Gooblar
Marcia Marques
Susan Sheridan
Jessica Engstrom
Sheri Weinstein
Marianne Cook
Tim McGlinn
Amy McGlinn
Dana Cavanaugh
Brendan Cavanaugh
Jerry Sullivan
Rachel Sullivan
Janet Meyers Trzaska
Adam Friedland
Lynn Ankner
Keli A. Tianga
Shama S. Diegnan
Francisco Tianga
Jeffrey Lind
Marnie Doubek, MD
Joe Doubek
Michele Slade Strumeier
Jeff Strumeier
Kai Adair DuBose
Scorey DuBose
Christine Szczepanski
Maureen Fitzpatrick Griffis
Amy S. Goldberg

Morrisa da Silva
Kathryn Huang
Patti Whelan
Alethea Randazza
Andy Yonteff
Keri Lonieski
Carmen Johnson
Tom Johnson
Wendy Padilla
Inken Finnamore
Marie Todd
Cheryl Greenberg Barkin
Len Catanzaro
Cecelia Cancellaro
Silvia Rodriguez
Gabriella DM
Shana Teitelbaum
Theresa Burns
Jill Hammarberg
Kim Collins
Leo Catanzaro (CHS 2015)
Oliver Catanzaro (CHS 2019)
Eli Catanzaro (CHS 2022)
Barbra Parlin
Debbie Turvey
Sue Donney
Julia Cerny
Ed Cerny
Jennifer Greenberg
Rebecca Bascio
Richard Bascio
Theresa Burns
Gregory Fagan
Sandra Charlap
Mindi Burman Farran
Brian Farran, PhD
Kimberly Rosen
Sara Husted D'Andrea
LuAnne Kleppe
Ruth Landa
Andrew K. Lipetz
Laurie Tarkan
Tammy Benson-Romano
Catherine Torsney
Koji Shimizu
Helen Mears
April Heeren
Bryan Umiker
John Freedson
David Jackson
Susan Anderson
Jeanie Cho
Bronwen Jones
Rachael Cronin
Lee Navlen
Michelle Scotti
Ilena Kasdan
Jeremy Abbate
Wendy Miller
Talya Rothenberg
Amy Halperin