LETTER: Union Says No Confidence Vote By Chelmsford Teachers is 'Concerning'

Monday night, the Framingham Teachers Association (FTA) spoke against the hiring of out-going Chelmsford Suprintendent of Schools Frank Tiano, as Framingham’s new assistant superintendent of schools.

Tiano was Superintendent of Schools’ Stacy Scott’s only finalist for the position.

The Framingham School Committee voted Monday night 4-1-1 to approve Scott’s choice of Tiano, and to negotiate a 3-year contract with him.

Below is the statement read by the teacher’s union president Sarah McKeon, with her co-president Michael Koziara standing next to her.

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Hello. My name is Sarah McKeon and I am one of the co presidents of the Framingham Teachers Association.

I am here tonight to share with you concerns of mine that are also shared by many FTA members, along with other district leaders and parents, regarding the candidate for Assistant superintendent, Dr. Tiano.

Recently, Mike and I were able to meet with Dr. Tiano and a second candidate for the position. We enjoyed our interaction with Dr. Tiano and appreciated it when he was open about the budget and financial issues that have plagued him during his tenure in Chelmsford.

However, it was what was not discussed, and what we heard afterward, that left us concerned: the vote of no confidence from the teachers, along with reports of questionable staff behavior and hiring decisions.

Here in Framingham, we already have a seriously broken trust between the employees and the leadership of this district. We have already seen a number of questionable hires and other decisions that have left us scratching our heads. We have attempted numerous times to increase communication, to improve it in some way, and that simply has not happened. Yet we want to potentially bring in yet another administrator who might employ these same concerning tactics?

I decided to reach out to the Chelmsford Teachers Association president directly, after hearing from FTA members who have friends and family who teach in Chelmsford and have more of an intimate knowledge of how things are. What I have heard are phrases such as “Once you’re on the outs, you know it” and “When you speak out, you know you’re going to be watched” and “Positions have been eliminated, only to be reinstated with his friends in the positions and higher salaries to boot” and lastly, perhaps most concerning, “there are insiders and outsiders, and you always know which one you are”.

The fact that the teachers took a vote of no confidence should be largely concerning, no matter how positive a picture the district leaders or Chelmsford school committee try to paint. The reality is, we have had more than a few members ask us about doing a vote of no confidence right here in Framingham, and to me, it is pretty alarming that we would add another questionable piece to an already complex puzzle.

I ask that you once again, as you did previously, listen to the teachers and parents. They are the ones with their feet on the ground and working in the schools. They have knowledge and experience that district leaders just don’t have. Mistakes are made when only one side is considered, and I respectfully request that you consider voting against this appointment, or at least gather more specific information before making such an important decision.

For the record, I would like to state my disappointment that no teachers were included on the hiring committee.