According to today’s Sun “Greater Lowell Technical High School’s Human Resource Department and the school’s attorneys are following up on the superintendent’s statement at a public meeting earlier this month that she feels as though she’s being harassed by a School Committee member.’
School Committee member Erik Gitschier who is the member in question
said he has made two requests to Chairman Victor Olson requesting an independent, third party to investigate the matter.
In order to be fair to all involved a third party from the outside needs to be brought in to address these charges. The Supt. has a close working relationship with the Schools Lawyers and the Human Resource Dept. works for the Superintendent.
while they might be totally unbiased the fact that any sort of bias can be attached to them, makes it appear unfair to Erik Gitschier. These are far to serious charges to allow any potential appearance of bias or favoritism.
Erik Gitschier’s political and to a great degree his professional life is at risk. He works for a Municipality, if he is found guilty of harassment and/or gender bias it could effect his job in a negative way.
The Chairman owes him and all members an independent outside the building investigation into these charges.
I’ve attached the Lowell Sun Story By Sarah Favot (a great feature of the e-edition of the Sun) for your review.
Hi Gerry, Can I ask, what if they review and find there was no harrasment or worse… the Superintendents effort to lessen the inquiries of an elected official. What then? Should they call for her resignation or nonrenewal?
I Think So Corey, If they dodn’t find harrassment / gender bias than they should invoke the clause in her contract that calls for removal for insubordination and remove her.
Hi Gerry, What happens if they do find he has been harrassing her? Does he resign?
I think he would have to or the committee would have to take steps to remove him. This is NOT a good situation for either party and at the end one of them has to go.
How could the committee keep him if he were found guilty?
Gerry
Did they ever find out who was behind the Mike Lenzi Driver Lic caper
No, I never received a copy of it…
Oh I think many of us are pretty sure we know who is behind the Lenzi situation. It’s a matter of finding the proof. I hope they do !
The only truly fair inquiry would have to be an outside inquiry. Other than that – my personal belief is that an inside investigation would be far from impartial
Gerry, the time has finally arrived where this “superintendant” has now made it a complete mission. She has now even toxified the school committee chambers with her outrageous claims of harassment. These committee members could not, nor should not, be the least bit surprised with her outrageous desperate claims. It should be extremely clear to all of them at this point, that she has been in over her head for several years. Look at her mishandling of the missing school funds situation. There of course was no “third party”, brought in then to show what that bump was under the rug, where that entire thing was buried. As you can clearly finally see for yourself Gerry, its been Amateur Hour out there at the Tech. for quite some time and it has once again come back to bite this committee in the backside. Its beginning to look like Mike Lenzi was the smartest guy to leave the room. He at least knew when to pull the chute and jump off before she took it into the river.
A new tech committee member gets elected and asks some tough legitimate questions and the superintendent plays the gender card… Santoro is obviously way over her head and should immediately resign. Not just to spare the school a humiliating investigation but to save herself.
Tough? Legitimate? You can’t be serious?
Gerry, I think the time has come that she finally does the right thing and steps down in the best interest of the school. She is solely responsible for the toxicity that contaminates the place on a daily basis and the ENTIRE school committee has got to finally realize it. They have no other choice at this point but to stop looking the other way while the educational environment continues to deteriorate. Its just time.
She isn’t even close to being responsible. There is one man in the building who is responsible for all the toxicity. He has even admitted to others in the building that if “she” had just done what he wanted her to do then none of this would be happening. HE admitted he is behind it all, and just because he wanted something and didn’t get it. All of this is because he is vindictive and doesn’t like to be told what to do. He and his buddies should get a life.
Kathy, she IS responsible because the buck stops with her, like Jim used to say. Its interesting that you’re not denying that the toxicity exist. Its decisions with the likes of protecting Hobbs like administrators that absolutely supports the comment that she is solely responsible. She has blindly looked the other way on each and every one of his screw ups. And he, as I’m sure you’ll agree, is a major contributor to the toxicity and yet she continues to harbor and protect his inept butt. She’s made no effort to clean up the toxic mess. That is proven by the fact that his removal is such a no-brainer and yet she clearly has no interest in pushing that major contributor out the door. So she has ended up with zero credibility when it comes down to looking out for the best interest of the educational environment. Anybody else, in another administrators position in any other school district would have fired him years ago. Only at Greater Lowell Tech. could this type organizational insanity exist. And he is only one example.
Kathy, you know better. You have been in the building for a long time. I know some of your friends are on the hot seat, but lets face it….it is an ugly place to work for the past 10 years. I have said it before. There are 4-5 bullies who have ruined the reputation of the school and it makes the place look pathetic to the outside world. Some people just never feel shame or take responsibility, no matter what happens in their lives. Except for the bullies’ friends, all the blogs and newspaper article comments point in one direction.
The kids make the place pleasureable. There is nothing like working with the kids and their wide eyed excitement about life. They are the reason most of the saff have tolerated the unfortunate climate in the building.
Wow Jo ! You nailed it right on the head. Kathy does know better because she has worked under positive, professional and first class administrators for several years of her career. It’s sad that the old sherriffs department mentality that crept into the place 7 or 8 years ago is still negatively impacting the school environment each and every day. Kathy does know and understand that things could be and very well should be far better. What is even more saddening is the fact that this toxic work environment has trickled down and is being experienced by the kids.
“the old sherriffs department mentality that crept into the place 7 or 8 years ago”
Now we are “dialing in,” as they say. BAM!
Jo Ragwar! Well aren’t you the tea calling the kettle black! Talk about taking responsibility for one’s own behavior?? You have abused the system far beyond anyone in the building, have created more enemies for yourself as you are talked about all over the building and contribute the least to the improvement of the school. You are the most negative influence next to the dean whom you hate with a passion and you spread lies and rumors to keep the negativity going to suit your own vengeful needs. Get over it and retire already before you torture another student or parent that you believe are beneath you.
Amen to Mack!
Are you referring to articles in the Lowell Sun ? What a joke. Most of the information that was called in by the disgruntled employee who didn’t get his way in the building, was false. He did not get his way and he put a team of people together to start bringing her down because I guess his ego couldn’t stand a woman in power making decisions that he did not like. He even told people in the building when it all started, that if “she” had just done what he wanted, none of this would be happening. We all know who HE is and who his friends are, as well as the committee members he campaigned for so he would have some people working for him on that level as well.
Which also causes one to wonder….. Whatever happened to bringing in the outside “management consutants” to provide an assessment and a hefty list of recommendations to try to clean up the daily toxicity levels that continue to plague the school? An Assistant-Supt. acknowledged that they are aware of the serious morale problems in the school but there hasn’t been a single step taken to try to address the severe morale related issues. Once again it’s broomed under the carpet with the sight being set on nothing but retirement.
Having had three sons graduate from the school in the 90′s I am at awe as to what I have been reading regarding what I see as BS pettiness. I never heard one bad thing abolut the school when my sons attended. I have also given out thousands od dollars in scholarship money to deserving students upon graduation. I do not have a dog in this fight but I intend to take the remaining scholarship money I have which is quite substanial out of the Schools hands. I will feel much more secure having one of my Family Members be in charge of the Scholarship Money. Every year a Mr. Manolopoulos would contact me and send me a nice letter regarding the Scholarship and informing me of the balance at the end of each fiscal year. I have not heard a thing from anyone at the school since Mr.Manolopoulos retired. Yesterday afternoon I watched a repeat of the meeting which supposedly The Supt. thought she was being harrassed . Harrassed about what? I did not see anything in the content of that meeting that even came close to harrassment. Stop the bull and start setting examples and concentrate on what is best for the students
Thanks Jack. Everyone in the building is still paying a huge price for the “old sherriff Dept.” political agenda that infected the place years ago. The persistent toxicity and angry approach, negatively intoxicates the school to this day. How sad is that? Leaving Lowell, sadly Mr. Manolopolous was pushed out the door to make room for his inept successor who just happened to have been the best friend of the current superintendent. With any luck, they’ll both go out the door together when this school committee comes to its senses and doesn’t renew her contract come next June.
Mack, you listen to to the bullies too much. You have no idea how many accolades I get daily from staff–administrators, teachers, custodians. Those who work in the building know the truth and no one would ever believe your lies, with the exception of the few bullies already mentioned. But their days are numbered. And hopefully, the school committee will never allow this to happen again.
Hey Jo,
Are you still calling in sick so you can go on vacation to Fla.???
I hear she’s looking at Rye, NH waterfront real estate Jim. She’ll be doing less traveling with that much beach time year round.
You’re delusional. Everyone calls you crazy. Your bizarre emails make people want to run for the hills! You’re bitter because you don’t like being asked to improve your work ethic. The administrators you call bullies were the ones who had the guts to raise the expectations of the staff. You loved the old regime because they didn’t care about increasing the academic rigor for students by asking the staff to work harder. They didn’t care if students went to college from the Tech. This administration cares enough to put themselves on the hot seat. They aren’t bullies they just asked you to get off easy street and work hard. You and the other negatives resent hard work!
Mack, I couldn’t have said it better.
Back to the man mentioned earlier. He was a teacher , I believe , who was promoted without the proper credentials to Cluster Chairman by Ms Santoro. Which simply stated means, any problems caused by him are her fault.
Yup Elizabeth. His mess lands in her lap and she brooms it under the carpet. Therefore, she’s responsible.
Larry Bourne
I have no idea who you are but I imagine you are referring to me when you say the old sheriffs dept because I am the only one who ever had anything to do with the Sheriffs dept So why don’t you just get the balls to say what you really mean pal
I think I already have. It is interesting that a nerve seems to of been hit. Maybe you should try to line up helping those Hobbs like administrators with some serious couch anger sessions. Why do your comments here seem to differ so much from the writing style that appears in your Lowell Sun articles? Okay
Larry, all your references and anger towards Hobbs. I think we all know who you really are now. Another disgruntled former employee who did not want to work hard and lost their job.
Not quite Kathy. I’m quite happy in the position I currently retain in another district. We all know that the guy is the Anti-Bullying poster child and that he can’t realistically be defended.
Kathy you are right on that one . Mr. Bellerose was a non-renewal due to poor evaluations.
Are we getting a little paranoid, Mikey?? Don’t flatter yourself, you never did anything for the school that you did not benefit from. Go counsel people!!