NORTH ANDOVER — About 80 teachers and school advocates turned out at the School Committee meeting Thursday night with signs supporting School Superintendent Gregg Gilligan after he was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday.
The teachers read statements and cheered each other on in the North Andover High School auditorium. The signs ranged from “We support Dr. Gilligan, Dr. Mealey, and the administrative team” to “S.O.S. Save Our Superintendent.”
“He has been a very good superintendent for us,” said Juliette Darmon, president of the North Andover Teachers Association. “He works collaboratively with the association.”
Gilligan was placed on paid administrative leave following an announcement at a Select Board meeting Monday that the school district is facing a projected deficit of $3,122,565, or about 6% of the district’s budget for fiscal 2024.
In explaining the deficit to the board Monday night, Gilligan said the district faced “some major hits” this year. They included increases in special education and homeless student transportation costs, a lack of elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding, and the need for 38 long-term teaching substitutes as of Monday.
On Tuesday, School Committee Chair Dave Brown suspended the superintendent.
“In my judgment, this was in the best interest of the district,” Brown said at the committee meeting Thursday. “This is me taking on the responsibility I was elected to do.”
The committee decided unanimously Thursday night to keep Gilligan on paid administrative leave to allow for an investigation of the deficit. No timeline was discussed.
Prior to the meeting Thursday, Brown asked Assistant Superintendent Pam Lathrop, an educator since 1989, to serve as acting superintendent. The committee approved.
“I never expected to be saying yes to this,” said Lathrop, who joined the district in July. “I wanted to be part of Dr. Gilligan’s administrative team … . In my short time that I’ve been here, I’ve seen incredible leaders do incredible work.”
Lathrop said she and the rest of the administration, including Gilligan, take full responsibility for the “mistake” that occurred. She told a story about how when Gilligan hired her, he told her that at any moment she may need to step up and that he trusted her to do so.
Two residents said during the public comment session Thursday that they voted “no confidence” in Gilligan, saying he was not transparent in financial matters for years and “not cut out to lead the district.”
Some teachers and staff members criticized the move, calling the administrative leave “reactionary and unnecessary” since Gilligan was unable to answer any questions prior to being put on administrative leave.
Gilligan has worked for North Andover Public Schools since 1998, serving as a teaching assistant, high school history teacher, principal of Thomson Elementary School and assistant superintendent. He accepted his current position in 2018 and his contract runs through 2026.
Three principals spoke on behalf of the district’s administration at the meeting Thursday, highlighting Gilligan’s impact on the community. They said Gilligan’s work has been “ignored or overlooked.”
“We believe this was a profound lapse of judgment,” said Joseph Clarke, principal of Franklin Elementary School, calling the move “calculated and cruel.”
“A School Committee couldn’t find a superintendent more invested in our community than Dr. Gilligan,” he said.
Darmon presented a letter, signed by the four former association presidents as well, to the committee on Thursday night to show the union’s support.
“We hope he gets reinstated as soon as possible,” Darmon said. “We feel this was completely uncalled for.”
Multiple teachers also spoke up during the public comment session prior to the superintendent discussion They called the $3 million deficit “not unique nor an anomaly.”
“It is evident from the information that Dr. Gilligan and Dr. Mealey presented to the (Select Board) that even the most careful planning could not have compensated for the unprecedented overtures this year,” according to a statement from the association read by many teachers.
“Rather than blaming our school leaders let’s take a look at where the responsibility might fall,” the statement said.
Kathleen Tanis, the association’s vice president, said the deficit was “bound to happen.”
“This is not a unique situation to North Andover. The fact is this is occurring in neighboring towns across the state of Massachusetts and the nation,” Tanis said. “Right now, we should be focused on keeping our administration in place to help steer us through these difficult times.”
Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3
Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3