In a letter dated Thursday and widely circulated among South Mountain School and Annex parents Friday morning, Principal Thomas Gibbons reveals that he was informed by the superintendent that his contract won't be renewed next year and urges parents to come to Monday's Board of Education meeting, when the renewal of non-tenured contracts will be voted on.

Gibbons is in his third year as principal of the two schools and would become tenured if he remained through next year.

In his letter, Gibbons said that the only performance review he had this school year was on April 3, 2009, when he got some negative feedback from Superintendent Brian Osborne. His previous review on Feb. 29, 2008 was "glowing."

"When I met with Mr. Osborne in April, he expressed concerns that centered largely on communication with parents and the allocation of my time between the main building and the Annex," wrote Gibbons. "He specifically told me that he formulated these opinions based on input from just a few people. Evidently, their subjective comments lead him to the broad conclusion that the entire school community had lost confidence in my ability to lead as principal."

When called for this story, Gibbons responded that he couldn't comment at this time.

In an e-mail, the district's communications coordinator Judy Levy said, "We are precluded from speaking about personnel issues."

The messages informing parents of Gibbons's employment status quickly picked up momentum Friday morning, and Fiona Duffell—mother of a first grader at the Annex and a third grader at the main school—says she received three separate e-mails. She says she's been on the phone with parents all day, and multiple people were in tears, reeling from the shock of the news.

"Children don't grasp onto bad people," said Duffell, who spoke of Gibbons's responsiveness and of a time when her daughter was being bullied, and he called to reassure her that the situation was being handled. "But children adore him, and you can see that he genuinely adores him."

Below is the complete text of Gibbons's letter:

April 30, 2009,
 
To My Friends in the South Mountain School Community -
 
In the past three years as your principal, I believe I have served the children, parents, and teaching community of South Mountain School with compassion, fairness, and consistent hard work. I have met the challenge of leading the school through a difficult time of change to bring about a stronger, safer and more nurturing learning environment. It has always been my personal mission to help each one of you with any and every concern that you may have had. Now, it is my turn to ask you for your help.
On May 4th 2009, the Board of Education will vote to renew non-tenured contracts. I have just been informed by Superintendent Brian Osborne that my name will not appear on the renewal list. In effect, this will mean that I will no longer be the Principal of South Mountain Elementary School and Annex.    
As I have now reached the end of my third and tenure year, I must share with you that Mr. Osborne’s decision was an extreme shock to me. It is important to understand that according to State statute and local contract, all non-tenured employees, including administrators, are required to receive three evaluations per year. I was never afforded that feedback. He met with me on April 3, 2009 to review the one and only evaluation I received from him this year. This was the first time he expressed any dissatisfaction with my performance. Prior to that I had received only one other evaluation report, which was dated February 29, 2008. That evaluation was glowing.
When I met with Mr. Osborne in April, he expressed concerns that centered largely on communication with parents and the allocation of my time between the main building and the Annex. He specifically told me that he formulated these opinions based on input from just a few people. Evidently, their subjective comments lead him to the broad conclusion that the entire school community had lost confidence in my ability to lead as principal.
I do not believe that this is an accurate depiction of the community’s feeling about my performance. I have done nothing wrong and certainly nothing that warrants the loss of my position. But, I do continue to believe that Mr. Osborne is the right person for the job of Superintendent; his vision is forward-looking and progressive.
I intend to fight this arbitrary and unfair decision with every means available to me and will request a public hearing in front of the Board of Education to do so. Unfortunately, not having tenure means that the Superintendent can use any reason, or no reason at all, to not renew my or any non-tenured person’s contract. But I can take this opportunity to clarify the issues and change his decision if you express your overwhelming support. The Superintendent serves the Board and the Board in turn serves the voting public. Clearly, your collective voice has the power to right this situation. Mr. Osborne is an extremely intelligent man who will respect your relationship with him and your formal authority over the Board. But this can happen only if you take the time to express your position on this matter to him before Monday, May 4, 2009. Help him hear and see your true feelings on this situation with emails, letters, or phone calls.  
I humbly thank you for the support that you have given me in the past, and I urgently ask for your immediate assistance and attention to this matter. I hope that you will help me to continue to lead this vibrant community’s school toward a bright and promising future for our beautiful children.         
 
Respectfully,
 
Tom Gibbons