Ex-school district officials: Cheltenham in 'dire straits'

Saying that a stream of employees had left, been transferred, or forced out under the new superintendent, 25 former Cheltenham school board members, along with teachers, PTO presidents, and current residents, have warned in a letter to the school board that the district "is in dire straits and that there is a failure of leadership."

The signers, including a retired principal, wrote that they talked to dozens of teachers who say "there is fear and intimidation and misinformation being promulgated" under Superintendent Natalie Thomas.

"These teachers are scared. And they are leaving. We had hoped and prayed for a transformation in our district under its new leadership. But that is not the case."

The district has been roiled since June, when high school principal Andrew Kuhn was temporarily reassigned to a job working on special projects, a move interpreted by parents as a push out the door. Kuhn left soon after for a job as an elementary school principal near Reading.

Thomas then tapped Cedarbrook Middle School principal Iris Parker as high school principal for a year. Guidance counselor Russell Bender temporarily took Parker's place. The administrative shake-up was the latest challenge for Cedarbrook, which last year had a festering mold problem that required closing and relocating students to three other locations, one out of the district.

Thomas, who came to the district in June 2013; Mary Russell, school board president; and Julie Haywood, the vice president, did not return calls for comment.

Other personnel changes - a high school assistant principal leaving and another Cedarbrook administrator being transferred - have caused uncertainty, said Sherry Hazelwood, a former president of United Parents Group, an umbrella organization of parents from every school in the district.

"This is starting to become quicksand when we had solid cement before," she said.

Some staff members have been forced to take jobs they did not want or made to feel their jobs were in jeopardy, said Tom Conway, a retired Cheltenham teacher who signed the letter along with his wife, Betsy, who also taught in the district.

"Why would you want to get rid of a high school principal that's done a great job? Why would you want to force transfer somebody with a good reputation?" he asked.

Cheltenham, which has 4,500 students, has a strong academic tradition, but in recent years the high school's academic performance has lagged behind others in the county, even as concerns about fighting and discipline have risen.

Hazelwood said that since Thomas arrived, "we're so concerned with all this other maneuvering - who's next on the chopping block - we're not concerned with who's educating our students."

The letter says teachers warned that the "current climate is untenable" and that "we will continue to see great talent bleed from our district. . . . These are not whiners or complainers - they are decorated educators."

Because personnel decisions are made behind closed doors, only school board members know the reasoning behind them, said Hazelwood.

"We want them to be discerning in those decisions," she said. "There's a lot of distrust."

610-313-8232 @kathyboccella