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Resigning chief tells of discord with Warren board
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Thomas
By Denise Dick
WARREN
Outgoing Warren City Schools Superintendent Bruce W. Thomas told the board president in his resignation email that he was becoming less comfortable with board decisions since his hiring.
He made the statement in a Sunday evening email to board President Regina Patterson in which he announced his decision to resign, effective July 31.
Thomas did not elaborate in the email about those board decisions, and Patterson said at a special school board meeting Thursday that Thomas hadn’t communicated any such discomfort to board members.
Thomas couldn’t be reached to comment.
Thomas’ email came in response to a June 21 email sent to him by Patterson saying the board wanted to meet with him to discuss his evaluation.
“This meeting will not be necessary,” Thomas wrote. “I have decided to resign my position as the superintendent of Warren City Schools ... While I would have liked to have continued moving the district forward academically as I promised when I was hired last June, I have become increasingly less comfortable with the decisions the board has been making.”
Although his resignation isn’t effective for more than a month, Thomas is done in the district. His email said he’ll use the balance of his vacation days and some sick days until that time.
Patterson said the board treasurer is calculating the days Thomas has used to determine how many he has coming.
Hired in June 2011, Thomas, who formerly worked in Marietta, was one year into a three-year contract when he resigned.
Patterson said the board was surprised and disappointed by Thomas’ resignation.
“But we’re moving forward, and our future looks good,” she said.
The board accepted Thomas’ resignation Thursday and appointed Associate Superintendent Loree Richardson as interim superintendent. Richardson also served in the interim post after the departure of Kathryn Hellweg, before Thomas was appointed.
Richardson, however, didn’t apply to be superintendent.
Robert Faulkner Sr., board vice president, said the district is fortunate to have someone such as Richardson who’s qualified to step in to the interim superintendent role.
Patterson said the board hasn’t yet decided how it will move forward in searching for Thomas’ replacement.
Thomas is one of seven finalists for the superintendent job in Lorain City Schools. He was one of four finalists interviewed Wednesday, and the other three were to be interviewed Thursday evening, said Ed Branham, interim superintendent of Lorain City Schools. After the interviews, the potential candidates will be narrowed to three, Branham said.
Thomas had come under scrutiny earlier this year after he was romantically linked to an employee the school board hired at his recommendation. That woman also left the district recently through reduction in force.