Parents, staff decry ‘lack of transparency’ in school district

“Another banner day in South Burlington,” wrote Margaret Pasqua, a 24-year veteran staffer at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, in an email. “My 8th principal, Scott Sivo, whom we all like very much, is being terminated at the end of his contract in June.”

“Everyone here is very upset, understandably,” she said. “This is shocking. The faculty and staff are stunned and angry.”

Her opinions, along with dozens of others, were emailed to the South Burlington School Board and school officials after its unanimous decision to not renew Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School principal Scott Sivo’s contract for next year. Additionally, an online petition asking the board to reconsider its position has collected nearly 500 signatures since March.

A records request to the district also revealed that 45 emails between Feb. 15 and March 19 linked to the details of Orchard Elementary School principal Mark Trifilio’s leave of absence are related to an “ongoing investigation” and are exempt from the state’s public records law.

The board and district superintendent Violet Nichols have provided the community with little response as to why Sivo’s contract is not being renewed since the decision was made at a board meeting in March. Officials have also not clarified why Trifilio, who was set to retire at the end of this year, went on a sudden leave of absence at the end of February.

Nichols notified families on Feb. 21, and Trifilio did not submit an official notice of leave to the district.

While specific performance review information and other personnel documents related to Sivo are protected under law, records revealed that the district received a lot of backlash from community members, staff and parents expressing anger, confusion and frustration over the lack of transparency over Sivo’s nonrenewal.

“I can’t believe we would not renew Scott Sivo’s contract! We are so lucky to have him! Please reconsider this decision. Parents want Scott Sivo please!” parent Alison Flamini wrote.

“I am shocked, angered and saddened at this news,” wrote another parent, Courtney Kutler, in an email to Sivo. “You have been an amazing leader for Tuttle. You have always been approachable, responsive and transparent with our community.”

Another community member, Bradley Krompf, wrote, “I’m baffled. What you have done for the middle school community is a highlight for us in our school district community. I don’t say that lightly. There are few, if any, other highlights right now.”

Another parent, Carly Companion West, wrote that she feels continually blindsided by the decisions of the school board and the “lack of transparency.”

“I have wondered in the last year if the combination of our superintendent and school board are at all focused on the education of the students and the community in which they serve,” she wrote.

The district and its attorneys said 28 emails regarding Sivo’s nonrenewal are protected under attorney-client privilege, making them exempt from the state’s public record law.

According to the district’s communication coordinator, Julia Maguire, the district completed evaluations for Sivo for both the current and 2022-2023 school years and engaged in the “supervision and evaluation process” in accordance with the administrator evaluation timeline that is negotiated as part of the collective bargaining agreement for administrators.

“After those evaluations had taken place throughout the current school year, the district’s counsel then met with Mr. Sivo on March 4 and made him aware that, should he not accept the superintendent’s decision, the final decision would go to the school board. That vote took place at the March 13 school board meeting,” Maguire said.

Records revealed that Nichols notified Sivo on Feb. 28 that she needed to meet with him regarding his employment status and confirmed he had the right to bring a union representative to the meeting.

Sivo responded by asking whether the meeting was disciplinary in nature.

“Should I be prepared to answer questions? I would rather not have union representation with me, if this is just about whether or not I am being renewed in the position. If I am being accused of something I would choose to have representation. An answer to that question would be hugely helpful in my preparation,” he wrote.

Nichols confirmed that she would not be conducting an investigatory interview but would be discussing his continued employment. Because his contract was probationary — he had been with the district for less than two years — the district reserves the right to non-renew at any time, Maguire said.

In a statement sent to the community following the decision, the school board wrote, “We assert that Superintendent Nichols acted with supreme integrity and conducted a thorough investigation in this situation, and we fully support her decision. Please be assured that our decision in this matter was not made lightly and that we concluded, on the basis of our superintendent’s report, that it was absolutely necessary to support all students, staff, and families.”

To the contrary, some staff felt that this move was in direct opposition to what they would consider “support.”

“I am in still in shock about the news this morning,” Kelly Tivnan, Howard Center school services clinician at the middle school, wrote in an email to Sivo. “I know that you have made FHT such a better place than when you arrived. I shudder to think about what comes next here, particularly if the reasons for your non-renewal are because you tried to bring forth change. That was sorely needed, by the way.”

Another teacher, Christopher Towle, questioned the process under which officials took regarding Sivo’s nonrenewal.

“The vast majority of the faculty is behind Scott and for the Superintendent to do this without giving any reason is absolutely appalling,” he wrote. “There was no inquiry to our (faculty) thoughts, no interview with Dave Hyatt, no vote of no confidence from the faculty, and as far as I know no big accusations. I would like to know the why behind this decision.”

Former school board member Bryan Companion, who resigned from his seat on the board in September citing a “lack of respect and civility,” also sent an email of support to Sivo.

“I am saddened and shocked by this announcement,” he wrote. “In the past two years, I have heard nothing but complements and praise for the work you have done at FHTMS. They came from teachers, staff, parents, and most importantly, students.”

South Burlington Educators Association president Noah Everitt also wrote in an email to Nichols, “Many of our middle school colleagues are angry and confused.”

The district began forming a search committee for the middle school principal position at the end of March. The committee last week determined to extend the timeline for this search with the first interviews to be held on April 29. Administrator interviews, site tours, student and staff meetings, along with a community forum, will take place on May 2.

The three final candidates to replace Trifilio as principal at the elementary school have been selected and final interviews began last week. A final candidate is expected to be brought to the board at its April 17 meeting.