A spate of “no confidence” votes against school administrators has swept through Massachusetts teachers unions in the last few weeks.
The unions cited various reasons for their censure votes, including poor communication and transparency from school district leaders, failure to address student disciplinary problems and budgetary issues including proposed position cuts.
Experts say no confidence votes usually don’t result in any action being taken against their targets, which are typically superintendents, principals and school committee members. Even so, such a vote communicates deep dissatisfaction among school staff regarding how a school or district is being led.
South Hadley
The latest teachers union to hold a no confidence vote is the South Hadley Education Association (SHEA). Ninety-five percent of the union’s members who teach at Mosier Elementary School voted that they have no confidence in Principal Cynthia Flynn’s ability to lead the school, according to a press release from the union.
The teachers’ biggest concern is Flynn’s lack of communication with staff and families, according to SHEA. They feel they are not part of the decision-making process at Mosier and are not adequately supported by Flynn. Additionally, the school lacks clear guidelines for correcting student misbehavior, the union stated.
Flynn did not respond to The Republican’s requests for comment. She did not immediately respond to MassLive on Tuesday.
The culture and climate at Mosier have worsened under Principal Flynn’s leadership, South Hadley parent Danielle Barone said in the release. Flynn has decreased the number of open houses held at the school, as well as newsletters sent to families, she added.
“What feels different is the lack of communication and the feeling like there is a lack of interest in connecting with the community and the parents,” Barone said. “There seems to be so little support for the kind of warm and fuzzy experience that the teachers like to provide.”
SHEA’s members teaching at Mosier have repeatedly tried to work with school administrators to address their concerns over the past two years but have been met with silence and indifference, according to SHEA President Amy Foley.
“Not only has our principal failed to hold together the most important systems of an elementary school, but she has also harmed some of the most vulnerable members of our school community. That’s why we see such a pressing need for change,” third-grade teacher Myra Lam said in the release.
South Hadley Superintendent Mark McLaughlin said in a statement that he thought SHEA’s attacks on Flynn are “untrue or mischaracterized.” District leadership is now looking into the union’s claims and is waiting on SHEA to provide evidence of the problems that it previously asserted it could share with him, he said.
“An action of this sort is very serious and must be addressed with utmost care with respect to fairness, accuracy and the interests of all affected parties,” McLaughlin said.
Winchendon
Last week, 90% of the Winchendon Teachers Association (WTA) voted that they have no confidence in Interim Superintendent Ruthann Petruno-Goguen, the union said in a press release. Petruno-Goguen, who joined the school district at the beginning of the current school year after former Superintendent Thad King left under unclear circumstances, has failed to address ongoing problems facing the district, the union claims.
The WTA takes issue with the interim superintendent’s handling of both the district’s budget and its workplace culture, it said.
Petruno-Goguen’s fiscal year 2025 budget prioritizes administrative pay increases and curriculum materials at the expense of staff positions, the union said. Though she’s made minor adjustments, they don’t adequately address the union’s concerns, according to the WTA.
The interim superintendent has also “disregarded” established hiring practices and lacked transparency in her communications, according to the WTA.
“Micromanagement of building-level decisions has fostered a climate of low morale among staff, leading to widespread discontent throughout the district,” the union wrote.
The WTA said it has attempted to resolve these issues through various channels but that not enough progress has been made.
“The Winchendon Teachers Association emphasizes the urgent need for a Superintendent dedicated to the long-term welfare of the district,” it wrote.
Petruno-Goguen did not respond to a request for comment.
Winchendon School Committee Chair Karen Kast did not respond to a request for comment, and other school committee members deferred to her for comment.
Other districts
The Andover Education Association (AEA) held a vote last week, and 91% of its members said they had no confidence in Superintendent Magda Parvey, according to WCVB. The vote comes in the wake of April layoffs and the revelation that the Andover public school district is dealing with a $2.5 million budget deficit.
Notably, the AEA went on strike last November and secured a 35% teacher pay bump over the next four years, the news station reported.
“Union leaders are now trying to scapegoat Dr. Parvey for personnel reductions that are necessary in part because of significant salary increases included in the new teachers’ contract,” Andover School Committee Lauren Conoscenti said in a statement to WCVB.
Another teachers union that has held a vote of no confidence in recent weeks is the Haverhill Education Association (HEA). Late last month, its members teaching at Whittier Middle School voted that they had no confidence in Principal Matthew Condon or Assistant Principal Cathy Koch, though it is unclear by what margin.
The union alleged that staff are dealing with a “hostile work environment,” aren’t supported by school leaders, are micromanaged and that disciplinary enforcement at the school is inconsistent. The HEA has notified Superintendent Margaret Marotta of the issues, but her response has not been sufficient, the union said.
School leaders’ perspective on ‘no confidence’ votes
Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, called no confidence votes a “bullying” tactic often used by unions when they “don’t get what they want” from school leadership. The votes accomplish little and largely serve to “embarrass” school administrators, he said.
Koocher pointed out that two of the unions who recently held no confidence votes — Andover and Haverhill — obtained significant staff raises through teacher strikes in the last few years.
Oftentimes, he said, teachers unions will force school committees to capitulate to their demands for big raises, and the district is temporarily able to cover them without budget cuts using one-time federal funds. Then, when the funds run out and district leaders propose layoffs to help balance the budget, the union blames district leaders and organizes a no confidence vote to bolster their position.
Ultimately, Koocher said, school leaders who are the subject of a no confidence vote should take staff dissatisfaction seriously and view it as an opportunity for self-reflection.
The MTA would not speak on the record about no confidence votes.
