School Superintendent Dr. Judy Palmer isn’t waiting to see if the Board of Education plans to keep her on in the district’s top spot — she was named Tuesday night to head the Region 7 school district.
She will replace Clinton A. Montgomery, who earlier this year announced his retirement.
The Region 7 Board of Education — which oversees schools in Barkhamsted, Colebrook, New Hartford and Norfolk — approved Palmer’s hiring Tuesday night. Palmer is a Winsted resident, where the Region 7 offices are located.
In Oxford, the Board of Education has for the past three months put off extending Palmer’s contract. In May it voided her existing contract over a technicality in its wording that allowed it to be automatically renewed, according to the school board’s lawyer.
Since then it has extended her contract while performing an evaluation of her performance. Last Friday it extended her contract to Aug. 13, at which time it was supposed to address the issue.
Parents, educators and former board members rallied around Palmer after the board voided the contract, speaking out at board meetings and holding a rally to show support for the superintendent.
Parents started a Facebook page “Save our Superintendent Dr. Judith A. Palmer” in the hopes of keeping her in Oxford.
No superintendent, no high school principal, no business manager, critical accreditation for high school coming up and school starts at the end of the month. Nice job, Oxford BOE. Time for the state BOE to step in and start cleaning up their mess.
Judy gets the last laugh. Region 7 got themselves a great superintendent. So Oxford BOE, you have about two weeks to hire a super, business manager, high school principal, and those extra teachers you budgeted for. Better get busy!
So, a new BOE comes in that is now being controlled by the Republican Town Committee through its three officers – McKinnon, Neary, and Lavin. In the short (6) months they have held office, they have run the BOE lawyer, Superintendent, her Assistant, the Business Manager, and some would say, the High School Principal out-of-town.
They have officer-only subcommittees and make decisions without input from the entire Board, they limit public input through the cancellation of regular meetings, and when residents do have a chance to speak, they are not allowed to ask questions or deviate from what McKinnon thinks is appropriate.
I am happy for Judy because she has hopefully found a district whose BOE will support her. Oxford is the big loser here as the BOE has made Oxford look like a laughing stock and we have lost good people because of the Oxford Republican Town Committee!
I only wished Judy would have stayed so the BOE could do what they really wanted, which was to fire her, and then watch Judy sue them and win decisively.
I can’t wait for the next regular BOE meeting to see what will be said by both the BOE and the public. Just wait, it should be interesting!
Thank you Oxford BOE for all of the hard work and reviewing the contracts, something many wanted to turn a away from. It’s Time For A Change, Change is on the way!
Looks to me like the super, the principal, admin-asst. and business manager didn’t want to answer questions, and figured heading to the hills was better.
Judging by comments, if this is politics in Oxford, then to hell with Oxford.
So, Frank will be the per diem HS Principal until this BOE can get its act together. Who will be the per diem Superntendent, could it be someone with the last name Cappola, who happens to be the father-in-law of BOE Vice Chairman Bill Neary? It wouldn’t surprise me if it was.
This BOE, led by the three Musketeers McKinnon, Neary, Lavin, and their sidekick Macchio, have really screwed things up for our town. Planning for a BOE shakeup in November 2011 is going to be fun!
Hats off to Ms. Palmer. A class act all the way. Since when is a publicly elected board allowed to refuse to answer questions from the public regarding their actions by claiming attorney/Client privilege? Outrageous. All too often these days, public servants fail to grasp the concept that they are employees of the taxpayers. What quality of candidates can Oxford expect to get in the future? Few, if any exceptional candidates would want to enter into a relationship after this highly publicized fiasco. In six short months, the BOE a well respected school system into a laughingstock.
Whatsnext said….”Looks to me like the super, the principal, admin-asst. and business manager didn’t want to answer questions, and figured heading to the hills was better”
Yea, Makes one wonder what was going on there?
When you have the run of the hen house and get a big salary, answering to the people must be beneath you. So you pack the bags, move on and make a bigger salary.
Next thing that needs to be cleaned up is this Charter Revision Commission they don’t have a clue. Another dismal failure.
It appears that Dr. Palmer must have been fearful of what the SOS’ers would find out when her evaluation became public information. I hope we still have the opportunity to learn the contents of her evaluation. Those of you that have mentioned the BOE has a great deal of work to do in the coming weeks are correct. They need to hire a “competent” principal for the high school who has experience with the accreditation process and can improve CAPT scores. The new principal should also be interested in hiring personnel qualified to help in this process instead of hiring friends and acquaintances. They will need to hire a business manager who knows whether the education budget is in a surplus or deficit situation. They will need to make sure that the new staff hires they approve are truly the best candidates for the job and not patronage hires recommended by the building principals. “Teams” do not have a vote in recommending new hires to the board. There are hundreds of qualified teachers applying for jobs, it is the BOE’s responsibility to ensure that “THE MOST EXPERIENCED AND QUALIFIED” are hired. Finally, this BOE needs to take the time they need to hire a Superintendent that is the right match for our school district. The Superintendent should be working for the children and not the Selectmen or any political party. The Superintendent should have excellent communication skills to improve the morale among all of the schools in the districts. He or she must be able to mend some of the damage caused by Dr. Palmer during her tenure. This is a daunting task for the BOE, and one that they seem to be willing to take on for the sake of our town. I challenge our BOF member and her husband, former BOE members, Booster Club President, Mr. K., Mrs.O’H, and others who claim to care about our children to help support them in this task instead of continuing to put up barriers and spreading more hate.
how rude of some of you! Dr Palmer did what was best for her and her family. A person can only be strung along and abused so much. I say GOOD FOR HER! God bless her and her future! I know she will make a fine superintendent in Region 7. Good luck finding someone who would even WANT to work in Oxford now!
Once again we see a skewed story from Kate. She claims a ‘technicality’ when I understand it was clearly a state statute violation issue. She says ‘parents started a facebook page’ but when you look at the admins they are all former and current BOE members.
TTG, I couldn’t agree more. This town needs to get out of the corrupt political hire your buddy system. Whether it is ORTC or ODTC the same old political games are played for power and they really don’t care for the children. I hope the BoE puts people in place that will look to improve the education system in Oxford. Name calling is always an MO for people that don’t have valid points to express. Let’s see if these people will get behind the BoE and help support them or if they will just continue their partisanship so they can score political points. My bet would be on the latter.
well…lets hope Mr Oszkowski is not granted the OHS principal position then. Then it will be proven that its not “hire your friends”
The truth detector said….
“TTG, I couldn’t agree more. This town needs to get out of the corrupt political hire your buddy system.”
I agree, but you have a First Selectman that just hired her political friend as tax collector. Now they want to make that job an appointed position and not elected. How’s that for a hire your buddy system!
Tired38, Aren’t you ‘tired’ of these crazy rumors? Where do these things get started in the backrooms of the Democrat Town Committee? If Mr. Ozckowski or Mr. Neary’s father in law whatever his name is were to be put in this district it would be the same old political games. Knowing Mrs. McKinnon’s track record on rooting out this sort of thing I can’t see how she would allow that stuff. I agree with the truth detector that this town is full of people both republican and democrat that only want to see their friends put into the system. I also have seen no support for the BOE from the Republican Town Committee but I would not include the republican members of the BOF in that statement. They have been very supportive of the BOE initiatives.
not again and any other person with an opinion about the Tax Collector, the Charter Revision Committee, of which I am the Chairman, will NOT be recommending it be an appointed or an elected position, but rather a HIRED position. The candidates will be screened, interviewed, and recommended by a panel of at least 4 people, one being the Finance Director and the other 3 being current or past members of the Tax Collectors Association of CT.
Only those candidates will be forwarded to the BOS for hire and the successful candidate must be chosen from that group. This method completely removes the politics of the position and allows us to also make the candidates meet specific job requirements related to experience and education.
The current BOS will have no input who is ultimately hired because a new Tax Collector can only be hired by the newly elected BIS in 2011 should our recommended change to the Charter pass.
We will be having a Public Hearing on this matter this coming Wednesday at 7pm in Town Hall.
BrettOlbrys…Appointment or hiring, same thing, you are taking away the voice of the voters, Oxford residents, and you are wrong. No matter how many people sit on a interview committee, the Board Of Selectman are the hiring and firing authority. Should your committee recommend taking the voice away from the voters, we we wage a campaign to defeat the entire charter with a NO vote.
notagain, I will agree that the Tax Collector needs to be voted in, not a hired position. The “new” tax collector was hired, and we the people had no say in the matter. The town should have allowed the woman who is covering now, stay in the position until election time and then let the people vote on a new collector.
Good luck, Dr. Palmer! You WILL BE missed!
not again…would you be OK with the Superintendent being an elected position or would you prefer the BOE to hire the Superintendent?
Both jobs require a specific set of skills needed in order to perform their jobs within the context and confines of state statute. If you keep the Tax Collector an elected position, anyone can get the job without having the necessary expertise and could therefore put the town at risk.
As an elected position, you are putting your faith in the hands of a political party to put forward a person to perform the job, therefore you typically only have two choices (a Republican or a Democrat) and neither could be qualified for the job, but those are your only choices and you would be stuck with the winner for 4 years.
As a hired position, the Charter can dictate who puts the candidates forward, what the job qualifications are, and who the BOS must hire. This method allows for the job to be filled by a competent person with the correct expertise and educational background, just like you would want with the Superintendent. Any sensible person would understand and agree that this is the only logical choice and it takes the politics out of the equation.
Mr. Oblrys
you are making a farce of this charter revision committee.
Are you going to stop every-time MAD-R wants something and dissolve your committee.
Only to have it reformed the next day.
If you had fore site and really cared what the people want you would have installed a line item vote to the changes your are going to put forward not an all or nothing vote.
Let the people decide.
So, now we’re moving away from BOE bashing? What a nice change. It’s a shame to see that some of the same people (Mr. Olbrys) at the center of one controversy are also at the center of another. In each case, it appears that a few loud angry people claim to know what is best for all and put patronage above qualifications. It seems to me that our First Selectwoman is charged with pulling the town together, and yet she is also one causing much controversy by trying to hold on to too much power. The leadership in the town seems to be turning into a dictatorship caused by a few who claim to know all. These few claim to know how our BOE should be run, how to run the BOF, and now are at the center of the tax collector position controversy. If the overall majority of the people don’t start coming out and claiming our town back from these few, we truly will have lost everything we have ever had to be proud of in this community.
eyes open…you can come to the Public Hearing on Wednesday, ask your questions to the Republican and Democratic members of the Committee, learn whom we have spoke to outside of Oxford, and understand why this is in the best interest of Oxford. This is as non-political of an issue as there is, unless you are going to make it political.
For anyone who is against this, please provide the answer to this question, should the Superintendent be a hired position, appointed, or elected and then explain why there should be a difference between that position and the Tax Collector, or any other hired position in Town Hall.
time to go, (can’t wait,leave). eyes open, (doubt it). do whats right, (you don’t know how). not again and truth detector, you’re both lost in the shuffle and are followers.
Freedom of speech is everyone’s right, but you gotta pull your head out and see the sunlight once in a while. Jeez.
Kudos to Brett and Carol, i just want to say they both are direct, positive and to the point. now those other cone heads…just go away.
For TTG: You are obviously disengaged with reality, no doubt about that. And to think I’m a registered Republican too! I voice my opinion about this because of your rude and degrading comments about others that work for this district and the citizens. I would like to point out the fact that IF members of the BOE were stating factual information about the contract, then they should have been resolved extremely quickly and respectfully. Notice how McKinnon and Kelly were on that SAME BOE when the contract was created. Had they attended meetings on a regular basis, maybe we wouldn’t be in the position we are now. I only state this comment because they have claimed to have superior prior knowledge and are working for the good of this town. How do these acts work for the good of this town? Give me answers to this please.
The majority on the BOE keeps hiding behind client attorney confidentiality statements. Why can’t they own these mistakes and admit that they have no idea how to fix them? I say this because I absolutely do not want to hear the board’s battle cry on how people employed in our district “left before we could do a thorough evaluation and set realistic goals.” This example does not illustrate teamwork and commitment; what it shows is an excuse from certain board members. How sad. Every human being in life makes mistakes which are fine, but no one can blame others for this! Everyone must take full responsibility for their actions. If you, as a parent, taught your kids this, why aren’t YOU demonstrating this?
I also feel that you need to stop belittling citizens in Oxford who have the right to voice their opinion and challenge the BOE members to fulfill doing their duties on that board. If they could not handle it, they would not have gotten on it correct? If someone chooses to dedicate time and effort on any behavior, they must also act upon it, and as we all know in life, there is a consequence for every choice we make. Ninety percent of this BOE focuses more on controlling issues than building teamwork and working together diligently. Rose herself is never polite to any audience member. She opted to be chairperson of the BOE which means she is going to have to tackle questions from citizens and other BOE members herself, not with a lawyer on one hand and out of touch Republicans on the other backing her up. Grow up, get over immature behavior that 90% of this board displays and move on. Honor the positive things in this school district which concentrates on the KIDS and their achievements, the staff at each school, the administrators, and the others besides you. Success equals growth. Start practicing a good model for this district and remember, you get what you give!
BrettOlbrys
What do you call an elected official?
Answer a politician.
What do you call a vote.
answer a choice made by the people
How much more political ca you get?
MAD-R is on a power grab spree and you are falling for it hook line and sinker.
You are attempting to take away another right from the voters of Oxford!
Are you going to piecemeal this charter revision or are you going to do it right?
It’s like déjà vu all over again. Read The Voices New November 8, 2002. There appears to be a pattern here! http://www.thevoicenews.com/news/2002-11-08/Winsted/W02.html
I am a bit tired of the rumors in town, but when the BOE that I am supposed to trust and get answers from doesnt answer the public and is “transparent” rumors are all we have to go by these days…sad I know
eyes open…thank you for proving my point. In your own words, what is an elected official? A Politician! And what do you want to continue doing, electing a Tax Collector (a Politician).
Also in your own words, what do you call a vote, a choice made by the people. In reality, the people’s only choice would be potentially unqualified candidates chosen by a Political party for election.
To make this position qualified and unpolitical, a committee of current or past Tax Collectors outside of Oxford would be the search committee and would forward the most qualified individuals to the newly elected BOS for interviews and then hire. The BOS would then be mandated to hire from this group by the Charter.
Timing of this issue is critical and that is why we are bringing this one issue forward now, with the remaining issues to be addressed once this one item is complete.
Anyone who disagrees with wanting the most qualified candidate as Tax Collector needs to be able to justify why this is the wrong approach, which it is not.
Brett,
So what you’re saying is that a small group is smarter than the voters and can better identify the best candidate for them. Some might get insulted by that train of thought. I am somewhat undecided on this issue, but I do know that I don’t like the idea of a vote being removed from the voters. I also don’t like the smarter than thou sales pitch. What do other towns in the State do with their Tax Collectors? Or why can’t this screening process be put in place to approve candidates thus allowing the voters to decide from qualified candidates. Other elected positions have criteria, the Attorney General position comes to mind.
I agree with Brett on the tax collector issue but little else. Attacks continue from Carol and Rita who are not happy with differing opinions. Just because Neary and Lavin are on the BoE does not automatically mean the ORTC is supportive. They are going to do what they think will help them get ahead politically. McKinnon, Macchio, Kelly and Oczkowski don’t seem to do things based on political gain but the other members do. None of them are worried about their next election. Where was all the support for the BoE over the last several months? To me it appeared to be from some republican BOF members and a few others but the ORTC was non-existent.
so I was right this committee will be dissolved once you bring the only charge forward.
What’s next more committees with only one change? maybe just one for the town clerk and then one for the # of BOS , then one for the term of BOS,it goes on and on and you will be making a farce of the whole process.
do it right or not at all.
You should be ashamed of yourselves for this political hacking that you are doing.
why not a line item vote on all the changes and not only one, saves time and tax dollars.
you are also forgetting that all candidates are chosen at a caucus where any one can be nominated for a position from the floor if party members do not like who the selection committee has endorsed. If the electorate is involved we will have Qualified individuals and it will be our choice not the choice of the party in control of the selectman’s office.
by eliminating the vote you remove our right to choose. Who sits on the panels, the controlling parties choice. They nominate and they select by virtue of having the controlling vote.
Maybe we should hire the First Selectman and get rid of having elections, right Mr. Olbrys?
Take away the rights of the people. Award those who supported the politician’s campaign like the appointed Tax Collector. Then they get in the union, so the administration in power that makes the appointment… that person will be in office for as long as they want. We are on to your tactics and we will ensure the entire charter fails because of your political agenda on this matter.
Ok, all those in support of SOS, charter revision,tax collector hiring not elected, and anything else that makes common sense in this town, let’s end this rolling game and let those who put blame on others for their lack of knowledge to do anything positive for this town, play with their … ok navels.
My reasoning to keep the Tax Collector as a voted in position is… Augie Palmer wanted to get rid of our Town Clerk during his term. If she had been a hired position, he would have probably gotten rid of her. Sorry to Augie, but the PEOPLE VOTED and she kept her job as she should have.
FACTS
Consistently Poor CAPT SCORES= Poor Administrative Leadership
Hundreds of Supporters of Dr. Palmer vs. THOUSANDS of Oxford residents
First Selectman Zero Based Budget and Education Budget Zero Based Under Judy Palmer
MOVE ON CAROL “THE FACTS” ARE IN FRONT OF YOU
WhatNext said…..”My reasoning to keep the Tax Collector as a voted in position is… Augie Palmer wanted to get rid of our Town Clerk during his term. If she had been a hired position, he would have probably gotten rid of her. Sorry to Augie, but the PEOPLE VOTED and she kept her job as she should have.”
Good Point! If you are a Independent, Republican or Democrat it should not matter, the power is in the people’s vote. Politicians come and go and make appointments and hiring decisions based on their short term agenda. While short term, they can cause a disaster for years to come. Let the people vote for the tax collector and DO NOT allow the Charter to also change the term of Selectman from two to four years. Let the people vote every two years in case we have a mess on our hands. If the person is good the people will make that decision. Please Olbrys, do what’s best for the town and not attempt to introduce your little fantasy world of politics into Oxford.
carol…. Did not realize you were the moderator here. You may be pushy and use to getting your way, but you don’t have a say in this matter. This is a lively discussion in which the Sentinel provides as a service for citizens to voice their input, concerns and suggestions. Your friend Brett, shine the badge Charter Chairman, asked if the Superintendent should be a hired or an appointed. So it is now part of this discussion. It is very frightening but typical how you want to quite items that don’t fit your agenda.
In regards to Dr. Palmer, let’s let it go now. The informational comments are rather false from a “few” people, and though they are just opinions, let’s move on. Dr. Palmer is the one who made the wise decision to get into another school district. It’s a done deal. The focus should now be on the kids’ academic success. From this point forward, everyone’s goal should be beneficial growth for the kids, the staff, the administrators, and the new superintendent.
Carol (Georgette?) is really scary in all these blogs – I’m not sure who is listening to her rants anyway.
I agree with Not again,Palmer is old news and we need to keep up with the issues that are current.
Maybe this forum could do a new story about the meeting coming up Wednesday.
Better yet show up at town hall at 7:30 or get a letter to the town clerk to have read into the minutes and express your opinion where it really matters.She will be there tomorrow night till 9:00. Don’t let them take away another one of our rights without letting them know how you feel.
Election is over Gore lost.
Keep your eye on the ball at town hall,new affordable housing development coming with a flood of school children of all ages. focus on the future and move on.
what a shock….as usual….BOE meeting at 8:45pm tonight, no audience of citizens and they will be chosing an interim Spt. Nice that we get to say something to the BOE…but again, why say anything? They dont listen to us anyway
Wars over North won, and byrd is dead.Gore lost and so did you. Duped by Palmer and you won’t admit it.