Board decides not to renew contract

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY—It would appear that after Thursday night’s executive session of the Sullivan West School Board that the district will be seeking a new superintendent to replace Michael Johndrow, whose contract expires in June 2004. While the reasons have yet to be publicly stated, the rift between Johndrow and some members of the board has been quite public.

“The evaluation of a superintendent by a board or vice versa is a two way street. In that process, either the board, the superintendent himself, or perhaps both, may come to the conclusion that it is not the best fit,” board member Arthur Norden said.

Despite the fact that the district is on time and on budget with its construction plans to open the new high school, the year has been a difficult and controversial one. Issues concerning the budget, mold, renovation snafus and ongoing concerns about the environmental impact at the construction site have abounded.

Whether it was any of these issues in particular or the cumulative effect that brought the board to this decision is unclear.

According to Johndrow, it is standard procedure for school boards to evaluate a superintendent on a year-to-year basis. Johndrow said he did not approach the board to request a contract extension, rather, the board decided not to renew his contract that still has another year and a half to go.

When asked if he felt the board’s decision would impact his ability to function effectively, Johndrow said he didn’t think so.

“I’m being paid to do a job and I’ll do the best job I can for the remainder of the contract period.”