Sir,
I just finished reading your story “Teachers at Moton express concern” and truly find the comments made by both Gus Guadagnino and Lori Romano to be incredulous.
For the Superintendent to say she had felt blindsided about the truth is perplexing. Dr. Romano started many of the issues at Moton by denying requests from 2 former Principals asking for additional resources. One Principal, Mark Griffith, was removed in March 2016 as part of an investigation that surely appears to have been a witch hunt.
Parents have been speaking out to the Superintendent and to the Board for several months. I have personally sent emails to the Board, the responses I get back are to get more involved so I did.
As for Gus Guadagnino’s comments about not hearing anything for 30 days, well from my perspective, I gave up contacting them. The response I received from him had terrible grammar and was clear that his support lies with Dr. Romano.
Yes, teachers are afraid to speak out for fear of retribution, they have seen what happens to others when they do. You should dig deeper into why the assistant Superintendent abruptly resigned at the end of the past school year. No doubt that his story will tie back to Moton as well.
I have had conversations with professionals that worked at the district level with Dr. Romano but then decided to go back to the class room, clearly due to the atmosphere that she had created.
Many questions still arise, Dr. Romano removed the current Asst. Principal ( liked by staff and parents) at Moton abruptly on 10/7/16 just 2 weeks before the arrival of the new principal. That is a questionable move that causes more upheaval in a school that cannot afford that. The changes clearly leave the appearance that Dr. Romano is putting her people in place as a method to control and potentially handcuff the new Principal when he arrives.
What I do know is that Moton has many dedicated and professional staff that love the school and the children they teach. It is sad what they have gone through and their fears are real. Dr. Romano has created this mess and now she is only trying to make herself look good due to the publicity it has gotten. If she had only listened to staff at Moton for the past 2+ years and given them what was needed, we would not be in this situation right now.
Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion.
Mr. Jody Kenyon
Editor’s Note: The article Mr. Kenyon is referencing can be found at: Moton teachers express concern .