AMHERST — Amherst School Superintendent Michael Morris has rejected two finalists recommended by a search committee for the position of principal of Amherst Regional Middle School.
Though he initially decided to keep the interim principal on for another year, on Wednesday he sent a note to parents and guardians informing them that Patty Bode had notified him that she would not serve in that capacity for a third year.
“While we are disappointed, we respect her decision and appreciate her contributions, which have greatly benefited students, families, and the ARMS faculty/staff,” Morris wrote.
The decision by Bode Wednesday afternoon to not accept the interim position for the 2018-19 school year comes a day after Morris’ action was called discriminatory by a member of the search committee. The finalists were an African-American man and a Latina, who both hold a principal’s certification, which Bode does not have.
Morris on April 2 notified parents that Bode would be returning for the next school year. Bode, who has been interim principal for the past two years, was not a candidate for the permanent job.
“Upon receiving the recommendation from the screening committee, I assessed the candidates’ background experiences for the role of Amherst Regional Middle School principal,” Morris wrote in his initial letter to parents. “Despite the excellent efforts of the search committee, I have determined that there is not a pool of candidates that I can bring back as finalists for the permanent position.”
Search committee member Christine Harmon called the decision discriminatory and risky because Bode does not have the administrative license required by the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Harmon brought her concerns to the Amherst Regional School Committee on Tuesday, where she used the public comment time to speak for three minutes.
“Overriding the hiring committee, I believe, was an act of discrimination,” Harmon said. “Our top pick for hire was African-American, and our second pick for hire was Latina.”
Efforts to reach Harmon by phone and email Wednesday were unsuccessful.
As is customary for public comment, there was no response from committee members, who represent Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury, or from Morris.
Morris said on Wednesday that because Harmon is discussing a personnel matter, any response he makes has to be cleared through the school attorney. He said it is likely he will have more detailed information to present later this week.
In his initial letter, Morris explained to parents that the screening committee, which included faculty, parents and guardians, interviewed six semifinalists and then recommended finalists.
But unlike the process that led to two finalists for the principal position at Fort River School, in which parents and guardians were able to attend meet-and-greet sessions, Morris opted against accepting the finalists, instead deciding to keep Bode as interim.
Bode is a longtime art teacher, recently earning national recognition as the state’s art educator of the year.
“At this time, Dr. Bode does not have an administrative license, which is required for consideration for the permanent position, but I look forward to continuing to work with her in the interim role during the next academic year,” Morris wrote.
Harmon also drafted an eight-page letter that elaborated on the reasons she claims Bode was not a finalist.
“The current principal was not on the list for a myriad of reasons, the primary being that she said in her interview that she still was not licensed and hadn’t made significant progress to gain licensure in the last two years of her interim principalship,” Harmon wrote.
That Bode has already been granted a waiver from the state for this school year provides no guarantee that she would get another waiver to continue in her role, Harmon observed.
“Even if she suddenly gets her license, this situation raises significant questions about bias and discrimination and conflict of interest,” Harmon wrote.
A new posting is expected for the principal position in late fall 2018, according to the letter Morris sent. It’s not yet certain if that schedule will change based on Bode’s decision.
“We will be in touch in the next few weeks regarding next steps for filling this administrative vacancy,” Morris wrote.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
