Rich Maronski, who chairs the School Committee, announced his resignation effective May 3 on Tuesday. He attributed his decision to frustrations stemming from poor attendance at Committee meetings, which he said interferes with his family obligations.
For the past four years, Maronski has served on the Committee following his appointment. His prior experience on the City Council, he noted, was far less exasperating than his tenure on the School Committee, prompting him to conclude it was time to step down. “I believe the taxpayers aren’t getting
their money’s worth and the kids are paying the penalty,” he said. “It needs to
change. Our School Committee needs to go back the old way or they need to be
appointed. It’s the only job I know where you don’t have to show up, don’t have
to call in and don’t get fired. I hope our City leaders take a deep look at
this and make some changes.”
In his fourth year serving, Maronski was elected to the chair position this year. Julio Hernandez, who assumed the vice chair role alongside him, submitted his own resignation the previous week.
Hernandez cited both family and school-related difficulties as reasons for departing. He also expressed frustration with members failing to attend Committee meetings consistently. “I loved working in the School Committee,
but it also made me angry to see some members not show up to meetings, not ask
questions, and not have thorough discussions regarding our students’
education,” he said in a statement last week. “…I now believe School Committee Members
should be appointed, because our students’ education is no joke.”
The problems began immediately, according to Maronski. When he arrived to take his appointed position on day one, insufficient Committee members were present to establish a quorum necessary for conducting official business. “I had to come back another night when there
were enough members there to have a meeting,” he said.
Two years prior, another incident deeply frustrated him. The Committee faced a vote on a $1.1 million grant designed to preserve teaching positions that had undergone cuts. Though only a perfunctory vote was required to approve the grant, the Committee struggled to achieve sufficient attendance. “We didn’t have enough members for a quorum
and we couldn’t vote on a measure that was going to save teacher jobs,” he said. “There are no phone calls and people just don’t show up…It’s been going
on for years.”
More recently, the Committee lacked quorum when attempting to vote on the Superintendent’s Job Description. This forced the Search Committee to operate for an entire month using only an unapproved draft before securing enough members at a meeting for the vote to proceed. “My well-being and my family’s well-being
come first,” he said. “I was taking this home with me. I’m getting married soon
and it wasn’t fair. The reason why I chose to resign is because maybe I could
bring light to our City leaders that this situation has to change…We do have
some very good School Committee members that give their time, but a lot don’t.”
The Committee’s vital function extends to supporting students throughout the schools, Maronski stressed. He envisioned a Committee where members would be engaged and present, attending reading events, sporting events and concerts in support of the children. “We live in a City where there are a lot of
single parent homes and so it’s even more important the School Committee
members show up to these kids’ events to support them,” he added.
Maronski expressed tremendous respect for the Central Office, building principals, teaching staff, and facilities and grounds personnel. He also commended Supt. Mary Bourque, saying she has performed excellently despite the challenges of her position. “Mary Bourque has
the toughest job in the city,” he said. “We had our differences, but 90 percent
of the time we agreed and only 10 percent we didn’t.”