The Norwich Board of Education has extended the contracts of acting Norwich Superintendent Susan Lessard and acting Norwich Assistant Superintendent Jamie Bender through the end of December. The contracts were due to expire this month.
There were no changes to their compensation or other conditions, said board chairman Mark Kulos.
The extension was scheduled for late December because Bender is a retired administrator. She is subject to Connecticut Teachers’ Retirement Board rules, which require her approval for a second school year. The contract extension falls under a different set of rules, Kulos said.
The Board of Education was still in executive session when Lessard and Bender left Tuesday night’s meeting, so they could not comment at that time.
Stringfellow, Gloster Research
The investigation into Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow and Assistant Superintendent Tamara Gloster has taken time, but must continue. The council is hopeful the investigation will be completed this year, but a date has not yet been announced, Kulos said.
“We are at a delicate point in the investigation,” he said.
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Concerns were first raised when a Connecticut Education Association (CEA) survey found that 95% of staff feared retaliation for speaking up about issues, and 89% of Norwich teachers said their jobs depended on remained silent on the issues, the CEA reported. 1 August.
The Board of Education placed Stringfellow on paid leave on September 18. Lessard was named acting superintendent the same evening. Gloster was placed on leave on September 25 and Bender was named acting assistant inspector on September 27.
This article originally appeared in The Bulletin: Norwich Acting Superintendent Susan Lessard’s contract has been extended again
