Chester school board chairwoman opens up about superintendent controversy

In the midst of the controversy over why Chester County schools Superintendent Agnes Slayman had taken personal leave, school district officials met behind closed doors and refused to speak publicly about what was going on. Now, it seems, Chairwoman Denise Lawson is making amends for that.

Slayman resigned last month following employee complaints in late August claiming that she had threatened them, bullied them, asked them to lie to school board members and generally created a hostile workplace.

The superintendent might even have misled school board members and other district officials about how much she agreed to pay the district’s newly hired chief of security to oversee private guards on school grounds.

The board, we now know, had launched an official investigation of the accusations.

Slayman, who spent fewer than four years as superintendent, agreed to resign, but not before the board promised to pay her a $300,000 severance package. Keith Callicutt, former superintendent of the Fort Mill school district, has been hired as interim superintendent.

Throughout this weeks-long controversy, we think the school board and other district officials betrayed the public trust by meeting secretly and refusing to inform residents affected by their decisions about the nature of the dispute. The Herald tried, often unsuccessfully, to pry loose information from the district, ultimately resorting to Freedom of Information Act requests to gain access to public records.

We also wrote several editorials taking district officials to task for this unwarranted secrecy. We noted that the board consists of elected officials who have a responsibility to keep their constituents in the loop.

We stand by that view, but we were encouraged last week by Lawson’s openness and willingness to discuss the details of this incident, revealing some of what went on behind closed doors. We also think that if fellow board members share her resolve to work to regain the trust of parents and others in the district, to allow the district to heal and to move forward, focusing on the future, the district will fare well in days ahead.

Lawson, who, with more than two decades on the board is one of its longest-serving members, said she believes employees who made accusations against Slayman were telling the truth. Lawson expressed confidence in the investigative consultant, who wrote in her report that Slayman had “lost the trust and respect of her team to the point that she cannot be an effective leader.”

Others on the board, however, were less convinced. Vice Chairwoman Sandra Stroman supported Slayman and only reluctantly voted with the majority of the board to accept her resignation. She blamed newspaper reports and leaks for harming Slayman’s reputation.

Despite their differences, we hope board members can find common ground and focus on doing what is best for students and families in the district. Having Callicutt on board should be a significant benefit for Chester County.

Callicutt, who is a Chester County native, became one of the most respected superintendents in the state during his stint in Fort Mill. He led the district from 2005 to 2010, including shepherding through two large borrowing plans totaling nearly $165 million to pay for five new schools, and for repairs and additions to aging and cramped facilities.

Most recently, Callicutt worked in Florence County School District 3, where he was hired as an interim superintendent but saw his contract extended to serve a total of four years.

Undoubtedly the largest task facing the district will be choosing a new superintendent. Lawson said the search would begin later this fall with the goal of hiring someone by the start of next school year.

We hope the board conducts a thorough search and enlists members of the community to help vet the final candidates.

Again, we don’t think the degree of secrecy employed by the district during this controversy was warranted. But we are gratified that Lawson has opened up and provided vital details regarding what occurred.

The school board is right, we think, to emphasize moving forward. We hope the district succeeds in finding highly qualified candidates for superintendent and in continuing to offer an opportunity for a good education to every child in the district.

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Chester school board chairwoman opens up about superintendent controversy."