West Shore School District Leadership Challenged

West Shore School District Leadership Challenged
by Frank Pizzoli

"Superintendent Larry Sayre is digging in. He’s not going to leave unless we proceed with a hearing on his performance," says jubilant and newly elected West Shore School District board member Eric Fairchild.

Fairchild swept into office with The Benton Team — consisting of Al Ferguson, Marsha Wager, and Michael Dymkowski. Amy Roth Benton, who won a second term as Lower Allen Township Commissioner, mentored the team along the campaign trail.

The situation has deteriorated to the point where Sayre, in his 17th year as superintendent, has Highland Elmentary School allegedly referred to Fairchild and his activist associates as "dangerous". "One year ago, the group didn’t even exist," Sayre says on his behalf.

Sayre explains the evolution of events. In October of 1998 his employment contract was renewed by the board, the same month in which the district settled on a teacher’s contract after working for about one year without one.

"Ford Turner of the Patriot News noticed after the meeting that he hadn’t seen a copy of my employment contract and called to ask what I was hiding," Sayre recalls. "I sent him a copy right a way. It’s public record. What’s there to hide?" he says. About one week later, Benton appeared before the board to request they "rescind" Sayre’s employment contract, an action they did not take. "We gave her a copy of my employment contract too," Sayre says.

One year later, and with a new board poised to reorganize, Fairchild hopes that Ferguson, and another victorious candidate, Gilbert Parthemore, will coalesce around the issue of Sayre’s tenure to form a five-vote block. The five newly-elected board members, who take office on December 2, are hoping to pry loose a sixth, pivotal vote from the remaining four incumbent board members — Daniel Delaney, John Kambic, Catherine Sanford, and Sue Smith. "We’ll just have to wait a while to see what happens," forecasts Fairchild.

Asked about the accumulation in Sayre’s file of good performance reviews, Fairchild said, "That’s a crock." What would you expect from a hand-picked board?" With regard to the new board getting hold of information before December 2, Fairchild expects that "the administration and old board will stonewall".

The issues revolve around accountability and the atmosphere within the school district. Regarding accountability, Fairchild filed suit against the district disputing the validity of their feasibility study to build two new elementary schools to replace three existing, older buildings. So far, his suit has been rejected on "jurisdictional" grounds rather than substantive issues.

Fairchild also told MODE that he conducted a survey of 418 people who either live near or have children in Highland Elementary School, one of the three schools to be replaced by two, larger buildings in the feasibility study he has challenged. A total of 40 parents and 378 residents unanimously indicated they were opposed to the new construction plan at that site. "The superintendent and board didn’t even acknowledge these results," Fairchild points out.

Regarding his critics’ claim that Fairchild is simply being old fashioned and nostalgic by wanting the school saved so his son can attend the same school as he did, he says, "I never said that."

Benton has her own views on the deteriorating situation. "It’s not about children, it’s about power and intimidation," she says Benton. Retired teacher Dave Danner agrees. Danner cites his own turning point in October of 1998 when sitting board member Doug Tilley relinquished his seat due to a move from the region he represented. Danner explains how although Tilley had deep concerns about the atmosphere in the district, he often supported Sayre. Why? "Tilley feared his children attending school in the district would suffer reprisals," Danner said. "How bad does it have to get?" Observers noted that a number of retired teachers turned out to work against Iams at the polls last week.

Another wedge issue moves from the concrete to the ridiculous: "laser toys" on school trips and grounds versus "laser pointers" in the classroom. Sayre tells MODE that "the media has never really told the whole story."

"The whole incident over the laser toys on a school trip was ridiculous," Benton says. After students were caught with laser devices on a trip, school officials took 77 days – over the summer – to figure out if the Weapons Policy did or did not apply to the situation. "How could you tell if the policy applied? It allows for teachers to use laser-teaching devices in the classroom, but kids can’t have the same stuff on their toy devices. And anyway, what does it matter? The policy was never conveyed to parents," Benton explains.

Sayre tells a different story. "About 50 fifth grade students went on a field trip. One parent who chaperoned for his first time did not attend the orientation meeting beforehand. By the end of the day, we had determined that five children had purchased laser toys with his permission, another seven had brought the toys along in the first place".

On the Monday following the trip, a plan had been devised to proceed with addressing the issue. "Principal Wendy Roger had wanted to meet with all parents in individual meetings to address the discipline — a one-day, in school suspension with educational presentations by local police and others on the hazards of laser toys. Many parents were beginning the summer and simply weren’t available. It took us two months to complete the meetings. By the time it was all over, we had offered a two-hour in-school suspension coupled with a two-hour parent meeting in which we could address the policy, the hazards, the whole issue from top to bottom," Sayre explains. That approach met with disapproval from some parents. One disapproving parent, Tom Boyer, who spoke publicly at a board meeting against the disciplinary measures, didn’t attend the session scheduled for his child, according to Sayre.

Local control of schools is as much a staple of American culture as apple pie. Looks like we’re going to see who does the carving in the months to come.