NORTHAMPTON — With the start of classes slated for Thursday, the public school district’s interim leader is negotiating with a candidate for the role of interim principal at Northampton High School, but officials said it is still possible for Principal Lori Vaillancourt to return to the role full-time.

The anticipated hiring decision comes after controversy erupted in March over Vaillancourt’s leadership and written comments that were found after a public records request by former School Committee member Susan Voss. The issue led to a walkout involving hundreds of students leaving class early and some giving speeches outside the school.

Interim Superintendent Jannell Pearson-Campbell was entrusted with deciding on Vaillancourt’s employment when she took over the top job from John Provost this summer. Before he departed for another district, Provost hired attorney Regina Ryan to conduct an investigation of the issues raised by students and members of the public and report back by June 27.

The Gazette has filed a public records request seeking a copy of Ryan’s investigative report and any email communications between her and Provost. In June, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra told the School Committee it is “highly unlikely” that the report will be made public “given the privacy rights” of those involved.

Reached on Sunday, Pearson-Campbell said she is “in the negotiation process with a particular candidate” for the interim position based on the recommendation of a stakeholder committee that she assembled to review applications.

“We’re trying to finalize and see how it goes,” Pearson-Campbell said. She declined to comment on matters involving the investigation but confirmed that a final decision on Vaillancourt’s employment has not been announced.

In the meantime, associate principals and former Principal Nancy Athas were among those who stepped up to lead the school.

Vaillancourt, who is on paid administrative leave, declined to comment for this article. She was first hired in 2019 and earned $114,240 in 2021, according to city payroll records.

School Committee Vice Chair Gwen Agna said committee members have seen a “redacted summary” of Ryan’s report, which is still working its way through the city’s internal legal processes before Pearson-Campbell can take final action. The Gazette has requested a copy of the summary, as well.

“We seek a principal committed to issues of diversity and equity,” a now-expired online job listing, posted on a popular school employment website for nine days starting Aug. 19, read. The listing stated that the start date is Sept. 1, the first day of school.

“The Northampton Public Schools seeks to hire and retain employees of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds,” the listing read, encouraging multilingual candidates to apply. “Leadership practices are anticipated to be inclusive, creative, engage all students, and support differentiated instruction.”

Student equity

Organizers of the high school student walkout in March said it was inspired by frustration with Vaillancourt, particularly around issues of student equity, and that disillusionment came to the surface after the Gazette reported that the principal referred to members of the Student Union as “asshats” in a publicly available written message to a teacher.

Vaillancourt has apologized for the remark, which was discovered after a public records request last year; she previously told the Gazette that roughly 260 pages worth of emails gathered by Voss and released amid a dispute over the efficacy of the school’s honors math program do not include important context and some of the messages between colleagues can be misunderstood.

Agna said Pearson-Campbell’s stakeholder committee will also review applications for other openings, including principal of JFK Middle School and district curriculum director.

“As she has been doing since she got here, she has a process that includes stakeholders,” Agna said. “She has reached out to staff, faculty, School Committee members and caregivers.”

Bridge Street School’s principal, Beth Choquette, recently left her role and Provost appointed Carol Ruyffelaert as her interim replacement. Agna said “we’ll have an inclusive search for a permanent,” likely before the end of the school year.

Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.]]>