Crisis of leadership? RSU 21 superintendent, School Board told 'teachers need a champion'

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Greg Cavanaugh told the School Board on Monday what teachers in RSU 21 are craving as they wrestle with low morale and see many of their colleagues resigning from the district.

“Every teacher needs to have a champion,” he said.

Cavanaugh, a former RSU 21 teacher, accused Superintendent Terri Cooper of micromanaging educators and “flippantly” dismissing the resignations of quality educators as a trend throughout school districts nationwide.

Cavanaugh told School Board members they and Cooper should show more interest in why educators are leaving the district.

“To be so dismissive about an issue that should be so inherently important ... is a big area of concern,” Cavanaugh said. “Can we support our teachers who so desperately need a champion? They’re starving and desperate for help.”

Earlier on Monday, Cavanaugh made similar comments during an at-home interview that included his wife, Shannon, who is currently a teacher at the Sea Road School in Kennebunk.

Shannon Cavanaugh said she felt comfortable speaking out because she is not a member of the union that is currently negotiating a new teachers’ contract with the administration.

The Cavanaughs said they are concerned Cooper is putting more priority on the needs of the district’s central office than on the teachers, who are helping students learn every day.

For example, both Cavanaughs said Cooper places too much emphasis on human resources and public relations, allocating significant funds for positions in those areas but not advocating enough for teachers’ compensation.

Shannon Cavanaugh said teachers want “prep time” in between classes that they can plan themselves, as opposed to “prep time” facilitated by the administration.

“Prep times” and teacher pay “are two things that historically continue to be dismissed,” Shannon Cavanaugh said.

Shannon Cavanaugh added it is “frustrating” to see how so many other districts compensate their teachers for their hard work considerably more than RSU 21 does. Looking through her research, Cavanaugh claimed she could be making nearly $20,000 more as a teacher in Yarmouth, a community she described as comparable to Kennebunk and one where she once taught.

Previous story: Kennebunk High School principal resigns amid wave of RSU 21 departures

'The teachers and staff are miserable' at RSU 21

The Cavanaughs are not alone in their dissatisfaction with Cooper and the district.

In a recent letter to the editor, Kennebunk parent Tim Fossett said the “terrible” morale of RSU 21 educators has been “tiptoed around for the last several years.” Fossett said the “vast majority of this frustration lies with the lack of leadership” by Cooper.

Fossett said he and his family – including his wife, Beth, who also has spoken publicly about the district – were encouraged when Cooper was hired as superintendent in 2020 but have since come to feel Cooper lacks business skills and empathy for those who work for her.

“The teachers and staff are miserable, but afraid to speak out,” Fossett wrote. “Our teachers and staff love the kids, they love the town, but they despise the leadership.”

Educators and community stakeholders began to speak about morale in RSU 21 during a couple of public hearings back in May, following the resignation of School Board Chair Erin Nadeau after she made a controversial comment about local educators on social media.

In recent days, particularly since Kennebunk High School Principal Jeremie Sirois resigned earlier this month, people have become vocal once more. More than 10 people spoke during an extended public comment segment at the School Board meeting on Monday.

Erica Sullivan, a teacher at Sea Road School, for example, said it has become “very embarrassing” when people she encounters outside the district comment on how matters are going at RSU 21.

Sullivan, who has taught for many years in the district, said she has opportunities to teach elsewhere but has remained in RSU 21 because she is “hanging on to the hope that things will change.”

Sullivan said the district should stop comparing the local turnover of teachers to the national averages.

“The amount of turnover recently is not normal for Kennebunk,” she said. “We should be comparing ourselves to ourselves.”

Sullivan referred to a recent quote from Cooper, who said in a newspaper interview, “ We wish we could pay all of our employees more, but we can only provide what the taxpayers have approved.”

“If this is true, you didn’t listen to the voters, who clearly begged you to cut administrative costs and not to cut money from our teachers and students,” said Sullivan, referring to the most recent budget season. “Let’s not blame voters.”

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RSU 21 superintendent responds to critics

In an email on Tuesday, Cooper responded to the viewpoint that she and her administration are not acknowledging the district has problems that need to be addressed. She referred to the School Board’s creation of an ad-hoc committee in late May as an effort to recognize concerns and provide a “road map for healing.”

Cooper said the new committee has not yet made progress because the district still had to focus on getting through the budget vote and School Board elections in June. She added that the School Board only had its first meeting with newly elected members on July 22.

“It would have been unethical and unwise to make any important decisions without the input of our new (School Board) officers and members,” Cooper said. “However, the public should know that work is being done as quickly as possible, and they should attend as many meetings as they can to stay informed.”

Regarding resignations, Cooper said they have been the result of many different reasons, such as employees retiring, relocating, leaving the field of education, and more.

“This is not to dismiss the morale concerns people have brought up,” Cooper said. “We hear those concerns and work hard to address them while also balancing the needs of every other part of this district.”

Cooper also pushed back on statements saying she has prioritized human resources and public relations and other central-office needs over those of teachers.

“It is simply untrue,” she said. “We have actually taken many steps to prioritize our teachers.”

Cooper said that $2.3 million, or 80%, of the additional amount in this year’s $60 million budget was earmarked for increases in salaries, wages, and benefits.

“Of that $2.3 million, almost 81%, or $1.85 million, will be paid to the teachers and educational technicians who instruct the district’s children and the bus drivers and bus aides who transport them safely to and from school each day,” Cooper said.

Cooper also defended her focus on human resources, a department she described as understaffed, and communications.

“Investing in communications and HR ensures that we maintain a culture of openness and transparency,” she said.

RSU 21 spokesperson Matthew Shinberg explained why it's important for the district to have a communications spokesperson.

“One of the most important aspects of my job is to respond to our community and point them in the right direction to find answers to their questions," he said. "Another important part is elevating all of the good news that happens every day, improving awareness of the inspiring and amazing achievements our staff and students put forth.”

37 RSU 21 employees have left since April

Shinberg said 37 district employees have resigned since late April. Of them, 24 were teachers, specialists, and administrators and 13 were from the district’s non-certified staff, which includes education technicians, transportation employees, administrative assistants, and nutrition workers.

Previously, when asked, the district said only 24 employees had resigned since late April. Shinberg later said the district had been referring only to teachers, specialists, and administrators, and not including the non-certified staff. When asked for the non-certified staff to be included, he replied that 37 total employees had left.

On July 23, Shinberg followed up, adding that three recently vacated guidance counselor positions at the high school have been filled. The search for a new KHS principal continues, Shinberg said, and the need to hire a long-term substitute teacher and a special education teacher at the high school remains.

Shinberg said the principal search is “well under way.”

“We’ve had several applications, and the hiring committee is examining them closely to find the most qualified candidates,” he said. “We hope to have this position filled before the school year begins but will only bring on the most qualified person.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Crisis of leadership? RSU 21 superintendent, School Board told 'teachers need a champion'