By Colleen Gundlach

At a Board of Education (BOE) meeting held in August, a delegation of parents and other concerned citizens urged board members to address several issues that had been raised in light of the departure at the end of the 2021-22 school year of four of the five Botelle classroom teachers, as well as three other staff members. The group was told that the board would hold a public forum to address the issues. At that forum, held on Sept. 6, Board Chair Ann DeCerbo led a presentation to respond to the questions raised at the previous meeting. When discussing “reports of poor communication, dismissive comments and retaliation,” DeCerbo reported that similar “serious allegations” had been brought to the attention of the board in April, were investigated at that time, and that no clear evidence of transgressions had been found.

DeCerbo also outlined the reasons for the staff members’ departures between June and Sept. 2021, saying that one teacher had been non-renewed, one did not want to teach in a multiage classroom, one didn’t want to teach the grade assigned to her and the fourth wanted to work in a larger community. Among the non-teaching staff, she said, the school psychologist left for career advancement, the curriculum coordinator didn’t feel comfortable working in a multiage environment and the music teacher retired.

Teacher dissatisfaction with multiage classrooms and administrative communication was highlighted in several of the exit surveys of staff who left Botelle’s employ, copies of which were obtained by Michael and Jessica Listorti, parents of a Botelle student, through a Freedom of Information request.  

The term multiage refers to the new school model at Botelle, where the school’s eight grades (pre-kindergarten through grade 6) are combined into age groups—Early Primary,  Primary, Intermediate and Upper Intermediate.

In her exit survey, the teacher who was non-renewed stated that her position had been eliminated and that even though other positions had opened up, she was reportedly told “that since I was ‘not a fan of multiage’ there was no place for me at Botelle.”  

Another teacher said, “I was told that if I was not happy teaching multiage, I was welcome to look for opportunities elsewhere and to share that information with the rest of the staff.”

Several of the staff reported difficulties with communication. One said, “It is a toxic environment, and it’s sad because it didn’t use to be. Communication is lacking, unclear and untimely.” Comments of others included, “Communication should be delivered clearly, with both administrators on the same page. Communication and follow-up is a huge issue from administration to staff, to parents and students, and I hope it is improved upon.”

Some teachers expressed concern for the future of Botelle. One said, “Over my time at Botelle, we’ve had six custodians, six P.E.  teachers, five kitchen staff, five nurses and a revolving door of classroom teachers and academic support staff. Yes, some teacher turnover may be unavoidable, normal and even beneficial, but this high rate of turnover reveals underlying problems.”  

According to DeCerbo, the school board is aware of the issues but legally can’t respond publicly at this point. “We are not hiding,” she says. “We are following the rules.” The BOE is responsible for hiring and evaluating the superintendent, who in turn oversees the principal and the staff. 

DeCerbo says the board is currently doing due diligence in investigating and analyzing the issues brought forth by the staff exit surveys. They are consulting with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and other sources for guidance. DeCerbo says the board needs to “understand the rules in the most complete way” before moving forward regarding the accuracy of the problems brought out by the staff. “It is important to find out what the issues actually are before taking action,” she says. “It is too easy to apply the wrong solution because we are caught up in rumors and he said/she said arguments.” DeCerbo stresses that the exit surveys are being taken seriously and are being investigated.

She further says that having a small school such as Botelle is an advantage because the town can “build it to be what you want it to be” by taking the initiative. “It matters to the town. Botelle adds personality, richness and depth.”  

A comment in one of the exit surveys agrees with this, though from a different perspective. “Botelle School should be a ‘destination’ location for teachers. There are unlimited resources, families that are involved, and well-rounded students that are excited to be at school. We are the highest-paying school in Litchfield County, so why did we have such a big movement of teachers this year? It should be a school that has no turnover because it has the bones to be a top school. Major changes need to happen in order to keep quality staff in the building.”

The next meeting of the Botelle BOE is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. at Botelle School. Public comments are heard prior to the start of the meeting.