Princeton BOE Turns Down High School Principal Reinstatement Bid 8-2

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Board of Education turned down ousted Principal Frank Chmiel’s bid to be reinstated by an 8-2 vote on Monday.

In a special meeting that went on for nearly five hours, the BOE sided with Superintendent Carol Kelley’s recommendation to not renew Chmiel’s contract. The motion to reinstate Chmiel was introduced by member Jean Durbin and seconded by Robert Christopher, the Cranbury representative. They were the only two yes votes.

During the much-awaited Donaldson hearing, Kelley publicly stated the reasons for not renewing Chmiels contract.

Here are some highlights from the meeting:

Kelley said that over the past two years as principal, Chmiel "repeatedly demonstrated poor judgment and disregard for policy and procedures that protect the safety and security” of students and staff.

“His failure to communicate crucial information related to the health and safety of our student body and staff, and failure to fulfill other job requirements resulted in the informal vote of no confidence by PHS teachers who are also on record as noting the chaos in the building and who describe them as unreliable, pandering, incompetent, untrustworthy and who question his ability to keep the building safe and secure,” Kelley read from the statement.

Kelley said that Chmiel misled his colleagues about his vaccination status during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting his colleagues at risk. His actions alienated the teacher’s union and the Princeton Regional Education Association. Over 140 teachers complained about Chmiel failing to adhere to the state’s masking policy during the height of the pandemic.

Due to his failures to meet performance standards, Chmiel was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan or PIP.

During his second year as principal, Kelley noted that Chmiel’s performance “worsened in significant respects.”

“One of the main issues that lead me to conclude that PPS should not reemploy you is the lack of trust. If the superintendent and her team cannot trust the building principal, whether that’s trusting him to be honest with her, trusting him to make good decisions... that creates an unworkable and unsustainable relationship,” Kelley said.

The Superintendent said Chmiel did not inform her or the administration about an intruder who was in the high school for around three hours last year. She said Chmiel failed to institute a lockdown which led to building monitors having to locate and chase down the intruder.

Kelley spoke about another bullying incident where Chmiel failed to provide critical detail, which the Superintendent later received from the victim’s parents. The student was stomped on and had a footprint on his chest, but was not sent to the school nurse. The student was also allowed to walk home from school. The investigation into the incident was not conducted until a week later, which led to legal issues, Kelley said.

Chmiel was issued 11 Rice notices over the last two years to discuss his job performance.

Kelley also said that the BOE made an agreement with Chmiel to provide him with an “exit” during Spring break. The agreement would have allowed Chmiel to resign at the end of March to seek other job opportunities. But Chmiel did not “honor” the agreement, Kelley said, who then decided to abruptly place him on administrative leave on March 17.

Kelley’s statement was followed by Chmiel’s lawyer David Schroth, who brought in witnesses to speak on behalf of Chmiel. The witnesses included students, a staff member and teacher.

Teacher Matt Wilkinson, who is retiring at the end of the school year, said Chmiel was the best principal he has worked under.

After the witnesses, Chmiel then addressed the allegations against him. He summarized his various accomplishments as principal at PHS and disputed many of Kelley’s reasons for non-renewal.

With regard to his COVID vaccination status, Chmiel said he did not take the shot immediately because his father died at age 40 from a cardiac event. Chimel and his wife, who is a nurse, were unsure about the vaccine’s safety. He said he never encouraged staff to remove their masks and acknowledged that he evaded a general question about vaccination raised at a meeting and apologized for it later.

As for the intruder, Chmiel said it was a former student who sneaked into the building to "hang out" with friends. As soon as he found out about it, Chmiel said he made a call on the radio and asked monitors to be on the lookout for the student, and within five minutes the former student was found and posed no threat to the school because he was a "harmless trespasser." Chmiel said he informed Kelley about the intruder and but Kelley didn't receive the message as she was out of town.

In the matter of the student being bullied, Chmiel said it was a "complicated case" which was being handled by the assistant principals. However, he said he sent many texts and made several calls to Kelley about the incident, but received no response.

Chmiel told the board that Kelley knowingly rated his administrative goals using inaccurate data. He said that Kelley met with him only twice this school year to discuss his work as principal.

He said the Rice letters were a tactic to not only establish a paper trail but to “harass and intimidate” him.

“I sincerely hope that you not only renew my contract for the 2023-24 school year but you reinstate me to my post as soon as possible. Let me get back to work. Let me help send off the class of 2023 on a positive note,” Chmiel told the BOE.

He thanked the public for fighting for him since the time of his dismissal.

After his presentation, Kelley said there was definitely a dispute about certain issues, but she stood by her original recommendation to not renew Chmiel’s contract.

Board president Dafna Kendal then asked BOE members if they wished to bring in a motion to reinstate Chmiel. Mara Franceschi was the first to speak.

Franceschi acknowledged the huge outpouring of support received by Chmiel, but said she believed enough of the reasons provided to not opt for reinstatement.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about whether this was just a situation between a boss and worker who didn’t get along. But we’ve all had bosses with whom we don’t work well and as adults, it’s upon us to figure out a way to effectively work with people we don’t enjoy working with,” Franceschi said.

“We tried to give you a gracious off-ramp with as much support,” Franceschi said. "You and your family are a valuable part of this community. However, based on my continued concern I will not be able to make a motion.”

Board member Beth Behrend said she appreciated the comments from students and parents. “I have also listened over the past 18 months to a disturbing number of complaints, investigations and concerns about violations of procedures, rules and laws, all involving Mr. Chmiel in some fashion,” Behrend said.

Alluding to Chmiel’s special bond with the students and his "extraordinary communication skills,” Behrend said school spirit and communication was not enough for her to make a motion to reinstate.

Durbin then followed Behrend speaking first about the flawed process and saying that although she heard enough to concern her, she was bringing a motion to overturn Kelley’s recommendation. She was seconded by Christopher.

Business Administrator Matt Bouldin then called the roll. The motion was defeated 8-2.

Kendal said Chmiel and his attorneys will receive a formal notice in writing within three days.

“While we understand this has been a difficult and divisive time for the community, the board is always acting in what we believe is in the best interest, and to protect the health, safety and well-being of the students and staff. We thank Mr. Chmiel for his service,” Kendal said.

You can watch the entire meeting here.

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