City councilor Patrick Kavey says the school committee in Pittsfield, Massachusetts wronged the community by backing interim superintendent Joe Curtis for the permanent position.
Curtis, formerly the deputy superintendent, stepped into the interim position last fall after when superintendent Jake McCandless left to take over nearby Mount Greylock Regional School District.
In a stinging press release Thursday, Kavey said the school committee’s 4-3 vote to install Curtis at the head of the district amounted to a failure.
“I by no means am diminishing the work that Mr. Curtis has done," the councilor told WAMC. "He stepped into a role that wasn't his own, and he has been in it throughout a global pandemic and making tough decisions. So I appreciate him for that. But after watching the interview process, after seeing the candidates’ qualifications, I was just having a hard time rationalizing how we had these two amazing candidates who had the detailed plans on how they were going to get us through the remainder of this pandemic, how they were going to focus on mental health and how they're going to focus really on our students in our community and bringing everyone together post pandemic.”
Kavey said Portia Bonner, interim superintendent of the Bozrah, Connecticut school district, and Buckland, Massachusetts Mohawk Trail Regional High School principal Marisa Mendonsa were his picks. Kavey does not serve on the committee himself.
“The main reason I was so supportive of both the candidates was their forward thinking in the way that they had these ideas, for example, continuing to use remote learning or kind of looking at education in a different way and realizing how complex it is, and how as we move into the future, especially with the way that the new generation is coming up, how we need to really be thinking very differently," Kavey explained. "When I was in high school, it was standardized testing, it was memorization, it wasn't that kind of critical thinking ability, that teaching of those basic life skills, all of the things that I think are really important in education and all of the things that I'd like to see our school department head more towards.”
Kavey’s press release noted that Bonner would have been the city’s first Black female superintendent. Kavey says he sympathizes with NAACP Berkshire County Chapter President Dennis Powell, who resigned just after Wednesday night’s vote to confirm Curtis.
“I support him for doing that," said the councilor. "It's very sad though, because now we've lost his vision in his voice, and his advocacy for our kids.”
Kavey’s terse four-paragraph missive to the school committee says its decision moves Pittsfield backwards, and closes with “We left the fate of our city’s youth in your hands. You failed us.”
“I'm just concerned that we already see such a high level of students leaving, school choicing out," Kavey told WAMC. "We're seeing educators go to our neighboring districts. I just don't want to see that anymore. I want us to be the district that has all the offerings that bring the students back into our district and have students from other districts coming to us for this excellent system that we have the capability and the opportunity to build together.”
Mayor Linda Tyer – who sits on the school committee and voted for Curtis – did not respond to WAMC’s request for comment on this story. Tyer was joined by chair Katherine Yon, Daniel Elias and Bill Cameron in voting yes. Joe Curtis also did not respond to WAMC’s request for comment on this story in time for broadcast.
You can read Kavey's full press release directed at the Pittsfield school committee below:
To the four who voted in favor of our new superintendent,
You had an opportunity to move Pittsfield Public Schools in a direction that would have taken our school system into a new era of diversity, equity and inclusion. An era of forward thinking, honest, adaptive leadership, that could have solidified our ability to provide a rewarding educational experience for all.
Throughout the interview process, Dr. Bonner and Ms. Mendonsa had shown a genuine commitment to their students, their staffs and their communities. Dr. Bonner was by far the most qualified candidate and would have been our first black female superintendent. Ms. Mendonsa spoke of collaboration, growth and development within the district and brought forth the big ideas we need, to navigate the challenges we will experience, reintegrating our students post pandemic. Both candidates have proven track records of engaging the communities they’ve served to provide meaningful, innovative opportunities for success that meet the individual needs of students, while understanding the complex evolution of the educational system.
You chose the alternative. Your decision will move Pittsfield backwards and be the reason we continue to see students and educators leave our district. We left the fate of our city’s youth in your hands.
You failed us,
Patrick T. Kavey
Pittsfield City Council - Ward 5
