Superintendent contract still not renewed
Fate of Lowe's job may be in new board's hands
The Board of Education [BOE] voted on Tuesday not to renew Superintendent Denise Lowe’s three-year contract — but pending future votes, Lowe could still be reinstated as head of the district.
The board is required to notify Lowe of the status of her contract by Jan. 1. If they failed to do so, her contract would be automatically renewed, board attorney Michael Gross said.
Because they voted to notify Lowe that they “cannot offer a renewal of her contract at this time,” the resolution states, her contract will not be automatically renewed in January.
But when a new BOE starts its tenure in January, they could vote to reinstate Lowe. Either way, she will remain in place as superintendent until June 2013, the end of this school year.
The board voted on Lowe’s contract on Oct. 10 but the vote was inconclusive. Board president Gregory Hopson and members Gregory Brewington and Sheila Brazile voted in favor of renewing the five-year contract. Gerard Dalton, Barbara Lesinski and Angela Ahbez-Anderson abstained.
The contract renewal requires yes votes from five members of the board, so another vote was scheduled for Oct. 29. That meeting was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
If the board voted again on renewing the contract and failed to garner five yes votes, they may not have been able to notify Lowe of her contract’s status by the Jan. 1 deadline and her contract would have renewed automatically.
After Tuesday’s vote, the board can notify Lowe that her contract is not currently being renewed. In the new year when the new board members are sworn in, Lowe’s contract could be renewed, or a new superintendent could be named.
Newly elected board members Christian Hall and Qzeena Taylor could sway the votes in the coming year when they replace incumbents Sheila Brazile and Gerard Dalton. Board member Kevin Michel resigned recently, and his replacement could also change the voting numbers.
The board is seeking community members to fill Michel’s spot, according to a prepared release from the district. Those who are interested should submit a letter of intent to the business administrator and board secretary Geoffrey Hastings.
Michel was a member of the board for two and one half years, according to district community relations official Christina Coloma. His term would have expired in November 2013, so a new appointee will serve for about one year.
