Superintendent, elementary principal resign

ARLEE — Arlee superintendent John Jay Miller and Arlee Elementary school principal Lisa Morger-Miller submitted their letters of resignation, which were read at the Tuesday, March 13 Arlee school board meeting.

In superintendent Miller’s letter of resignation, read by trustee Troy Felsman, Miller stated, “After looking back over the past five years, I’m very proud of the teamwork it took to get the building project accomplished… I will miss the wonderful students, families and supportive staff. I will always treasure the rewarding experience I had here the past five years and I wish you the best in the future.”

Superintendent Miller’s resignation went into effect after the board approved the letter of resignation 5-0.

Felsman also read Principal Miller’s letter, which stated, “I appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given here and I wish you much success in the future… I’ve always said that this is not my profession but my vocation.”

The board accepted principal Miller’s resignation as well, which became effective upon the board’s approval, however, Miller will continue her employment with the district until the final day of her 2011-12 contract.

The board then passed a motion to hire George Linthicum as contract superintendent for the next 60 days, pending contractual approval, which was to be done at a special March 20 meeting. At the end of the school year, the district will then conduct a full search for the next superintendent.

Board chair Amy Burland said MTSBA and other superintendents referred Linthicum to her. Two of the main factors which played into the decision were time (finding a replacement as soon as possible) and having someone who knows the system and could help immediately.

Also at the meeting, the board passed a motion to suspend trustee Shelley Fyant from Arlee sports activities for the remainder of the 2011-12 school year, with the exception of the year-end basketball awards banquet, after an incident following the boys basketball season tournament.

According to a letter authored by high school principal James Taylor, Fyant approached basketball coach Dustin Keltner after a district tournament game and used two expletives. Fyant issued a statement at the meeting.

“I admit I lost my temper in the heat of the moment and a whole season’s worth of frustration and ‘mama bear instinct’ came out,” Fyant said. “However, for the record, I did not say it in front of the team as was alleged, and at the moment, I considered the season over for all intents and purposes. I would like to apologize to the community for my choice of words but not for the question.”

The board did not have precedence for such a decision and all incidents are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. While policies are in place for school board members and the general public in regards to spectator conduct, no consequences for such violations are outlined.

Felsman, who originally recommended a year suspension before amending his own motion after public discussion, said that it was important to implement some sort of recognition that the incident happened so the board could move on.

“What I’m afraid of is that if someone goes off on a coach that might be a little more over the top than what happened, and they say, ‘well, I suppose you have to be on the board to get away with it.’ This has nothing to do with Shelley. I’m trying to figure out a way that we can handle this in a judicious manner.”