RSU 21 HR director resigns citing 'highly unprofessional' conduct in school district

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Human Resources Director Scott Harrison is resigning from RSU 21 , making him the latest of a number of employees to do so in recent months.

In a letter to his colleagues on July 26, Harrison explained, “with a heavy heart,” his decision to leave the district. Calling his time with RSU 21 “challenging,” Harrison praised the leadership of Superintendent Terri Cooper and criticized some of the behavior he said he has witnessed throughout the district.

Harrison also said he has seen RSU 21 go through an “incredible transformation” during the past 3 ½ years and expressed gratitude to everyone who helped him build the district’s Human Resources Department “from the ground up.”

“I did not make this decision lightly,” Harrison wrote.

Harrison’s last day will be Sept. 1.

Harrison’s resignation is the latest of quite a few in the district in recent months. Most recently, Kennebunk High School Principal Jeremie Sirois resigned , as did a couple of KHS guidance counselors. RSU 21 spokesperson Matthew Shinberg recently reported that the counselor positions have been filled, and that the search for a new KHS principal continues.

According to Shinberg, 37 district employees resigned between late April and mid-July. 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.

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Harrison’s resignation comes when many educators in the district are taking issue with Superintendent Cooper’s leadership , claiming she is focusing too much on the needs of her central office, with an emphasis on human resources and public relations, and is not supporting teachers enough.

Teachers and community stakeholders have expressed their dissatisfaction at School Board meetings, in letters to the editor, and during interviews with the media. They have said teachers are underpaid and micromanaged and do not feel respected or supported.

Critics of the district have said the resignations are due to the low morale. Cooper said the resignations are consistent with trends in education throughout the state and nation. She also added the reasons for the resignations varied, from retirements to relocations to exits from the field of education altogether.

In his letter to colleagues, Harrison offered a different perspective on Cooper.

“She is an incredible educator and a consummate professional,” Harrison said. “But above all else, she cares deeply about this district, its students, and its staff.”

He thanked Cooper and members of the School Board for their support.

In an email on Monday, Cooper praised Harrison, calling him “one of the kindest people you will ever meet.”

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In his letter, Harrison called human resources a “relatively new field in education, especially in Maine.” He said his team and the district have “achieved amazing feats.”

“I am immensely proud of the work done by my team and colleagues,” he said.

Harrison said he and his team have modernized several of the district’s systems, including launching a new online career site, “which has processed over 2,200 applications since its inception.”

Harrison added the district also established a job evaluation and professional learning platform, transitioned to an electronic payroll service, and created the district’s first-ever electronic open enrollment for benefits, digital contracts, and letters of assurance.

But Harrison said his experiences in the district have been “particularly challenging.”

“I have witnessed behaviors in this district that I believe are counterproductive and highly unprofessional, inconsistent with our stated core values,” he said.

In an email to the Coast Star on Monday, Harrison elaborated, saying the “unprofessional conduct” consistently had been directed toward him and the Human Resources Department during daily interactions.

“This behavior has been ongoing since the department was established three years ago,” Harrison said. “Despite this, we have managed to build an effective and functional service for all staff at RSU 21. What I believe has been lost in the conversation is that the Human Resources Department is here to support and assist the staff, not be a barrier to them.”

Harrison, who will return to consulting this fall, said he hopes to see a “stronger collaboration” between the district’s employees and its HR department in the future.

“I believe fostering this partnership can cultivate a culture of equity and mutual understanding within the district,” he wrote. “To those who have already taken strides in nurturing this relationship, I express my gratitude.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: RSU 21 HR director resigns citing 'highly unprofessional' conduct in school district