Christina board hires interim superintendent with no discussion or explanation

With no discussion or explanation, the Christina school board on Tuesday narrowly voted to hire Robert Andrzejewski as interim superintendent.

Andrzejewski is a retired Red Clay Consolidated School District superintendent who previously served as interim leader of Christina in 2016.

The vote to install Andrzejewski came as Christina Superintendent Dan Shelton remains on indefinite administrative leave, and the district's lawyer has warned that there is no justification for firing him and that doing so would put the district in legal peril.

The public had no advance knowledge that the board would be taking an official vote on an interim superintendent or that Andrzejewski was being considered. The vote came as part of a vaguely worded agenda item titled “recommendations for interim superintendent.”

Many questions remain unanswered, including when Andrzejewski will start, how long he will serve, how much he will be paid and even whether he had been consulted about his interest in the interim role.

Board member Y.F. Lou said in an interview that several candidates had been discussed in a closed-door session and he made a motion to hire Andrzejewski because Andrzejewski had previously helped the district pass a referendum. Board member Doug Manley disputed that, saying that no names had been discussed in the closed session because that discussion was supposed to happen in public.

Lou said he has not talked with Andrzejewski and added that he doesn't know if anyone else from the board had talked to him.

“What I'm saying is, we want to start that conversation,” Lou said.

Presumably the board will have to negotiate a contract with Andrzejewski and then vote to ratify that contract, but no such process was detailed publicly.

“That part, I don't know,” Lou said.

Board President Donald Patton refused to answer questions after the meeting.

“Your stories are slanted,” Patton said while briskly walking to his car in an attempt to avoid talking to a Newark Post reporter. “You can print whatever you want to print. No comment.”

Board member Monica Moriak alleged that the four board members who voted to hire Andrzejewski illegally coordinated their decision outside of a public meeting and she noted that Andrzejewski has not been interviewed or vetted.

“It sounds like all of this is some sort of backhanded plan, and I'm very concerned about that,” Moriak said. “I'd like to speak with Dr. Andrzejewski before I make any decision. I'd like to know what his plans are. I'd like to know how he's going to work with current staff. I'd like to know how long he plans to be here.”

Board member Amy Trauth questioned why the board is bringing in an outsider rather than allowing Deputy Superintendent Deirdra Joyner to run the district.

No vote on lifting Shelton's suspension

Tuesday's vote is the latest in a series of controversial actions taken by the board that have elicited criticism from district employees and residents and prompted the state legislature to order the Delaware Department of Justice to monitor the board for the next year.

The board is sharply divided into two factions, and meetings routinely devolve into infighting, shouting and personal attacks. On one side are Patton and his allies – Lou, Naveed Baqir and Alethea Smith-Tucker. On the other side are Manley, Moriak and Trauth.

In July, Patton and his allies successfully voted to put Shelton on administrative leave and not to renew his contract when it expires in June 2025. Ostensibly, the suspension was until the district could investigate an allegation that Shelton had intimidated an employee, but it was later revealed that the investigation could not substantiate the complaint.

Internal documents obtained by the Newark Post detailed four different reasons that Patton’s faction has proposed for terminating Shelton. However, Christina's lawyer, James H. McMackin III, wrote that none rise to a level that would justify firing the superintendent.

“Through any lens, termination is certainly off the table for multiple reasons,” he said.

He warned the board in stark terms that continuing to pursue action against Shelton would result in “peril, significant liability and other legal concerns.”

“The perseverative pursuit of termination....raises boundless concerns from myriad perspectives,” wrote McMackin, whose firm is dropping the district as a client after more than 40 years.

He wrote that Shelton's suspension should be lifted because continuing it under the guise of an investigation “looks vindictive and capricious.”

Manley and Moriak added several items to Tuesday's agenda that would have rescinded Shelton's punishment, returned him to duty and asked the Delaware Public Integrity Commission to investigate whether the board's original actions were appropriate.

However, Patton and his supporters summarily dismissed the proposals, voting to remove the items from the agenda without further discussion.

The board did agree to schedule a future workshop to devise a plan for hiring a new permanent superintendent by July 2025.

Education secretary expresses concerns

On Tuesday, it became clear that concern about the Christina board's actions has reached the highest levels of educational leadership in Delaware.

Mark Holodick, the state education secretary, came to the meeting to address the board. He expressed “grave concerns” about some of the things going on in the district.

“I implore you...focus on students,” Holodick told the board.

The recent controversies will make it harder to attract quality employees, he added.

“I would be remiss not to mention it's hard to recruit and retain great educators, teachers, parents and leaders when this current environment with the board exists,” Holodick said.

As has been the case at the past several meetings, staff members, residents and elected officials lined up during the public comment portion to criticize the board.

Kyle Lynch, vice president of Christina's paraprofessionals union, said the union is preparing to take a vote of no confidence in the board.

“Transparency and understanding are necessary to the relationship between the board, the district staff and the citizens who live in and attend our schools, and the relationship is critical to the success of the Christina School District,” Lynch said.

Other speakers noted that the district plans to ask voters to support raising taxes through a referendum, but residents will be hesitant to do so as long as the board remains embroiled in turmoil.

Patton didn't address the concerns during the meeting but he released a lengthy letter defending himself against recent criticism.

“When I ran for the CSD Board of Education, I promised the people of the district to bring transparency and accountability back to the board,” he wrote. “I have done everything I can do [to] keep that promise.”

He said he and his supporters have been subjected to personal attacks and threats for asking tough questions and holding district leadership accountable.

“This is the price we pay for standing up for what’s right,” Patton wrote.