With a needed seat filled to create a full board of seven members, North Branford's Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously Dec. 21 to approve a one-year extension to the Superintendent's current three-year contract.

The vote ends a controversial period which began November 16, when the newly-elected, Republican majority BOE met with only six members seated and voted 3-3 on the one-year contract extension question; with Republican Shawna Papa-Holzer joining the BOE's two Democrats in support. However, due to the tie, the extension was not granted. 

Community members, spearheaded by former interim BOE member Lynn Riordan, quickly organized a show of support for Superintendent Scott Schoonmaker with a rally held outside Town Hall on Sun. Nov. 19. Riordan had served as a BOE Democrat for one month in October 2017; but was denied reappointment following the Nov. 7 municipal election, after some members of the newly-seated GOP Town Council majority cited concerns with her actions when serving with the board. Riordan's re-appointment was denied by a 5-3 party-line vote; with Republican councilman Bob Viglione abstaining. See the story here  

One of the most contentious questions Schoonmaker's supporters raised was how the BOE could fail to give the contract extension to Schoonmaker when he had received a favorable evaluation in his annual assessment.  Following the Nov. 16 tie vote, BOE chair Sara Querfeld (R) had explained questions raised on past BOE chair "will of the board" actions, including some which favorably impacted the superintendent, were being investigated by the Town Council and until the investigation concluded, it would be imprudent to extend the contract. See the story here

Then, on Dec. 5, following the advice of the Town Attorney, the Town Council voted to return the investigation to the BOE. Also on Dec. 5, the Town Council appointed a seventh person to the BOE to fill a vacated seat, bringing in Democrat Jana Balsamo. See the story here

The council's Dec. 5 decisions kick-started BOE meetings which led to the unanimous contract extension vote on Dec. 21. The agreement extends Schoonmakers current contract out to June 30, 2020.

The practice of voting on one-year extensions to current contracts is typical among public school boards as it gives assurances to the Superintendent and the district of continuity in leadership.

"This is my livelihood," Schoonmaker told Zip06/The Sound, in an exclusive interview on Dec. 22. "I'm an employee, and with a change of boards; I'd have to start looking. It causes a great deal of reflection."

Throughout the investigation period, Schoonmaker said he had remained confident the BOE's decision would ultimately be favorable.

"My evaluation has always been positive; and everything that we've done, we've justified and explained in detail," he said.

He said the controversy of the past weeks has been trying, but he never lost faith and now has received an "...early Christmas present which I was excited to open."

"I'm thrilled with the outcome. It's been a very interesting couple of months with some of the goings on, but in the end, I was confident that everything that was being looked into would come out in my favor; and I was never in doubt that there was any wrong doing on anyone's part. Trust in the process, and the truth prevails," Schoonmaker said.

Schoonmaker said staying focused on achieving the district's educational goals and having the continued support of the community helped sustain his spirits in recent weeks. He also said he was grateful for those who had the "courage and conviction" to speak out throughout the controversial period and up to the point of the Dec. 21 vote.

"I'm still overwhelmed and so humbled by the show of support by students, staff, families and administrators [because] regardless of the outcome; how I measure my impact is holistically, on the people that I serve," said Schoonmaker. "I try to ground everything I do on the students of North Branford and what can be done in the best interests of our students and our staff; and I think that has resonated."

Schoonmaker also thanked the BOE for its strong show of support via the unanimous vote on Dec. 21. He said he hoped the outcome is a sign of more collaboration to come between the Town Council and the BOE.

"Unfortunately, sometimes these things get lost in the political bantering between parties and the council and the board," he said, adding the entire process could be viewed as a "microcosm" of "...what's going in the world right now."

"If we could all pull together, instead of push and pull, what we can achieve together would be amazing," said Schoonmaker.