Questions demand answers
in departure of principal

Allegations made this week by a Milltown school principal who was apparently forced to resign raise extremely serious questions about the actions of those in charge of operating the borough’s school district.

Parkview School Principal Thomas Gibbons, whose resignation is effective next week, is obviously a well-liked member of the Milltown school community. As residents became aware that he was not leaving by his own volition, many have done all they could to have his resignation rescinded and return him as principal. Numerous parents protested before the Board of Education last week, and many more have signed a petition in his support.

But pleas from residents and schoolchildren and a request from Gibbons himself that his resignation be rescinded have gone unanswered by the school board, whose members have been unwilling to say much more than asking residents to take it on faith that they have acted in the best interest of the district. Board President Teri Shook did elaborate a bit more following a Dec. 16 board meeting. She acknowledged that she and another member presented Gibbons with his letter of resignation, but would not say why.

Shook, other board members and Superintendent of Schools Anne Evangelista do not have to comment on Gibbons or his resignation. By law, they are supposed to respect his privacy.

Gibbons, however, is talking about his resignation, and what he’s saying demands answers.

In a letter he submitted to the Sentinel this week, Gibbons said he was told to either resign or his contract would be terminated. But what is most disturbing are the shocking allegations Gibbons makes with regard to a series of memos from the superintendent in his personnel file. The memos, according to Gibbons, were contrived by the superintendent in order to give the board a way to terminate his contract. He said he was even told by a board member that the memos were contrived by the superintendent in order to give the board a reason to terminate the principal’s contract.

Those memos, Gibbons said, are no longer in his personnel file. He said he has held onto copies of them, however.

Gibbons’ statements should not be taken lightly by board members or the community as a whole, and in fact an investigation is warranted into the events that led to the principal’s departure.

Board members have the authority to terminate the contract of a non-tenured employee like Gibbons at their will, but we sincerely hope that they had sound reasoning for doing what they apparently did. If not, and if what Gibbons says is in fact true, then board members should remember that their superintendent is also an "at will" employee — and that board members serve at the absolute pleasure of voters.