The closed door deal between recently departed superintendent Dr. Tommy Chang and the School Committee was blasted yesterday by a city councilor as “a violation of public trust.”
“The relationship between the community and the school committee has been unbelievably fragile,” said City Council Education Chairwoman Annissa Essaibi George. “We’ve had lots of concerns from families, and they’ve asked to be included, to be heard. So while it appears that a violation didn’t occur, it appears to be a violation of public trust.”
Jill MaGuire, a Haley Pilot School parent, said, “I think that this is indicative of how BPS has done everything, even in Chang’s tenure. They make a decision and tell everyone what the decision is without any vetting or input from the public.”
The school committee is under fire after the board reached an agreement to pay Chang nearly $300,000 and provide him a letter of recommendation. Chang resigned in June in the middle of a five-year contract that was due to expire in 2020. It is unclear when the School Committee reached the deal and members did not return calls to explain when they signed off on the agreement. The last executive session it held was June 27 — days after Chang announced his resignation.