It isn’t the way the town envisioned getting a new leader for the Norwood Public Schools, but when acting Superintendent John Moretti literally stormed out of last Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, quitting his job in the process, a change in leadership was forced and, in the end, that may be what is best for the town.
Norwood’s brand new Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Granatino will immediately take charge of the school district. Officially appointed interim superintendent by the School Committee when the board reconvened the following day to address the sudden departure of Moretti, Granatino accepted the appointment with quiet dignity, stating that he was prepared to step up.
“We have a wonderful staff at the ready,” he told those in attendance and those watching the 5:30 p.m. Norwood Public Access broadcast that followed the board’s executive session Thursday afternoon. Granatino assured parents that he would work tirelessly for the children and will move forward in the positive direction of his predecessor.
Despite Moretti’s rude departure, the School Committee, in a statement presented by Chairman Paul Samargedlis, thanked him for the time he served in the interim position. Moretti was beginning his second year following the granting of a waiver by the state to allow the retired Mansfield Public Schools superintendent to serve while the Norwood School Committee continued its long and unproductive search for a permanent replacement for Dr. Edward Quigley, who left June 2008.
Samargedlis told those watching that the staff and administration will continue to support the changes initiated by Moretti.
“We wish him the best in his retirement,” said Samargedlis. “He’s a true professional.”
That may be the committee’s assessment, but his behavior certainly wasn’t professional the night before. After talking down to parents who were there to voice concerns about the town’s special education program and being duly chastised by committee member Eleanor Travers for doing so, Moretti yelled at the board, “You have no superintendent. “You’re on your own.”
While the School Committee voiced unwavering support for Moretti and his policies, not everyone agrees.
Town Meeting members surely recall the rancor over the budget this past spring, and Moretti’s flub in reporting planned school repair projects and costs to the body as it voted on funding of school repairs, causing a double appropriation that has yet to be completely resolved.
Townspeople were dismayed again when a company with a long history of capably transporting special education students was unceremoniously dumped when the school department implemented Moretti’s special education transportation program. Some parents did not agree with the switch from YCN Transportation to the school’s own system. And the ensuing confusion when school started, including the botched transport of a special needs third grader, gave every indication that the new system may not be in the children’s or Norwood’s best interests.
Yet, the School Committee still hasn’t made significant progress in finding a permanent leader for the school district. They seemed quite content to chug along under the leadership of Moretti, a temporary appointee, during what is likely to be the most tumultuous period in the School Department’s history, as the town builds a new high school and faces more cuts in state aid that are certain to create budgeting chaos for some time to come.
Moretti’s parting shot, that the town has no superintendent and is on its own, might have been the sad truth if not for the one bright ray of hope on the horizon: Jeffrey Granatino. Norwood’s new interim superintendent may prove to be the kind of leader that the Norwood school district needs, with fresh perspective and the respect for parents, staff, town government, and taxpayers that has not been in evidence for some time.
Norwood resident Candace Leary’s Midpoints column appears Mondays in the Transcript.
