November 20, 2024

I was heavily involved in the district, recently serving as VP of the Klager & Riverside PTSA from 2020 to 2023. I was on the board of the Manchester Athletic Boosters for the past four years, serving as president my last year in the district, which was the 2023–2024 school year. Under the tenure of the current superintendent, 35 of the 45 certified staff educators have left. That’s a 78% turnover rate that continues to increase. This past Friday, two more staff members submitted their resignation. More teachers are counting the days to the end of the school year when they, too, will be resigning.

Despite grave issues and numerous concerning incidents, I and others have worked tirelessly for years on behalf of students, athletes, and staff and worked to increase the positive exposure of the district and reunite the district with the community in the post-Covid era. Meanwhile MCS administration and the Board of Education made decision after decision to drive students and staff away. When my now-16-year-old was 3, we moved to Manchester from a neighboring county because of the special education. And Theresa Tenpas Herron and Kristen Hancock are two amazing MCS educators who helped my child build a foundation for personal and educational success. But with the addition of the current superintendent, leadership faltered.

Huge, blatant issues, including misinformation, mismanagement of personnel and funds, and an outright lack of accountability and oversight have occurred repeatedly. I used every possible recourse from attending board meetings, writing numerous times to the superintendent and board, speaking publicly at board meetings, and addressing the superintendent and board directly, all to no avail. The final straw was when my special education student was repeatedly targeted by a current high school administrator. This and egregious issues including FERPA and IEP violations were glossed over at higher levels. A high school administrator tried to manipulate my oldest also into not taking classes with certain teachers and continues this behavior in effort to reduce interest in classes of employees in an attempt to run them out. So I removed my student from the district and we moved from Manchester. Thirteen years ago I never imagined the very reason we moved to the community (that I grew to love and be deeply involved in) would be the very reason we were forced to leave.

Interestingly, none of the current administrators reside in or have children in the MCS district — that is a profound change for the district as well. And I was not alone in rolling up my sleeves to be a positive actor for change, lobbying administration and the Board of Education to act in the best interest of staff and students, only to be left with no other recourse than to leave. And after years of effort and support of the district, not one word from the superintendent, BOE, or anyone to inquire why we left. You would think in a district hemorrhaging students there’d be some sort of action plan to assess why families leave. … Year after year, staff, students, and entire families are leaving the district. Beloved staff members with decades of devotion to students [are leaving, too]. And both new families that weren’t retained as well as generational families with parents and siblings having graduated from Manchester are leaving.

What’s done in dark always comes to light but I fear too much damage has been done by this administration and school board for the district to recover. A sitting BOE member actually stated that it’s not their job to question the superintendent, it’s their job to approve whatever he presents. Where is the oversight?

The treatment of the remarkable staff is just a symptom of the toxic epidemic that has consumed the MCS District. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. The staff, students, and families deserve better and the effect the loss of a school district will have on the community will be devastating and that is exactly where this is headed. I’m so sorry, we tried very hard to stand up for you and for what is right.

Kate LaVigne
Former MCS parent & volunteer

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