Former Princeton Principal Requests Public Hearing On Dismissal

PRINCETON, NJ – Former Princeton High School principal Frank Chmiel’s attorneys have requested a Donaldson hearing to be held in public, the school district confirmed.

Chmiel was placed on administrative leave on March 17 and the district does not seem keen to renew his contract. Since then, parents and students have protested the school district’s decision.

A date for the public hearing has not been set, the district said.

“PPS can confirm that Frank Chmiel's lawyers requested a Donaldson hearing in public. No date has been set yet, but the district anticipates that within the next few days a date will be set for the hearing,” PPS said in a statement.

“At this point, Mr. Chmiel has only waived his privacy rights for the Donaldson hearing, not for any time before or after the Donaldson hearing.”

WHAT IS A DONALDSON HEARING?

When an employee receives a notice that they will not be offered a new contract, within 15 days of notification, they can request in writing a statement of the reasons for the decision, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA).

The board must provide the statement of reasons for nonrenewal within 30 days of receiving the request, the NJSBA says.

“Within 10 calendar days of receiving the board's statement of reasons, the employee may request in writing an informal appearance before the board of education. The board must schedule the informal appearance within 30 calendar days from the time the employee received the board of education’s statement of reasons,” according to NJSBA.

The Donaldson hearing is not an “adversarial proceeding,” the NJSBA said. The purpose of the hearing is to permit the staff member to convince the board to offer reemployment.

“In a situation where employee was deemed nonrenewed because the superintendent had not recommended renewal, the board has the ability to overrule the superintendent’s recommendation after the Donaldson hearing. This is the only situation in which an employee can be appointed without the recommendation of the chief school administrator,” according to the NJSBA.

If the Board does override the Superintendent’s recommendation, the motion to offer a contract to the employee must pass by a recorded roll call majority vote.

However, the Board is not obligated to take a vote after the Donaldson hearing. If the board does not vote, then the recommendation not to renew will stand, according to the NJSBA.

PMS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, MATH SUPERVISOR, DIRECTOR OF GUIDANCE WILL NOT RETURN

According to the recent Board of Education agenda, Stephenie Tidwell, the district’s Mathematics and Business Education Supervisor has not been recommended for rehiring, the district confirmed.

Jessica Kilgore, assistant principal at Princeton Middle School has resigned from her post effective June 30. Meanwhile, Dana Karas, Director of School Counseling Services, has also submitted her resignation.

Kilgore was appointed at the middle school in October last year. Before coming to Princeton she worked at Ashbrook Elementary School in Lumberton where she served as interim principal. More: 2 New Assistant Principals Appointed At Princeton Public Schools

Karas was hired in 2021, replacing Kristina Donovan. Before that, she worked with Chmiel at Franklin Township Public Schools. More: Princeton Public Schools Names New Director Of Student Counseling

The Board will be meeting Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Princeton Middle School cafeteria.

The meeting will be live-streamed on YouTube at PPS Live Events.

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