Christina School District has opened its search for a permanent superintendent.
The search for a new head of the third largest school district in Delaware is underway.
Christina School District has announced the search for its new superintendent has begun, after about a year of fights, firings, and frustration among the school board.
Last July, the board voted after a seven hour meeting that lasted to nearly 3 a.m. to boot Dan Shelton from his superintendent position, just two years after he was named Delaware Superintendent of the Year.
Dan Shelton
Shelton allegedly yelled at an employee and made them uncomfortable, but those that voted him out were frustrated with the direction the district was going.
Other chaos in the district included the Department of Justice monitoring board meetings for a year – something unprecedented, accusations of Board Member Naveed Baqir being unfit to serve since he has been living overseas, votes of no confidence for Board President Don Patton, and what feels like a billion violations of Robert’s Rules of Order, a longstanding method of maintaining order and parliamentary procedure during meetings. It creates a structure for speaking order, properly voting, and more.
The voted on anything controversial usually ended in a 4-3 vote, with the majority consisting of Patton, Baqir, Vice President Alethea Smith-Tucker, and Y.F. Lou, and the minority voters of board members Douglas Manley, Monica Moriak, and Amy Trauth.
In August of last year, Shelton hired the Neuberger Firm to represent him.
Thomas Neuberger, his lawyer, wrote a letter to the board’s lawyer asking for it to cease and desist its actions against Shelton.
It says the board owes Shelton damages for lost wages, harm to his reputation, emotional and physical distress.
The letter says Board President Don Patton and three other members have violated Shelton’s due process rights through “intentional, willful, wonton (sic) and reckless actions of these persons lawlessly ignoring settled law, as well as the advice of their attorneys.”
The lawsuit is ongoing and includes an ask of $2,768,994 to Shelton for “destroying his good name, and violating his Due Process and contract rights.”
Since Shelton was fired, Bob Andrzejewski has been the interim superintendent. He served the same role in Christina from October 2015 to December 2016.
The district wants the public’s help in determining who should take over as the permanent superintendent.
“We want to hear from you!,” it said in a statement that included links to surveys. “Your feedback will help us create the profile for our new Superintendent. Thank you for your participation!”
Bob Andrzejewski
The survey essentially allows parents and community members to check characteristics or priorities they value most in the next superintendent.
For example, one is “Makes recommendations and data-driven decisions,” another is “Possesses an earned Ed.D. or Ph.D. degree,” and another is “Is able to work with legislators on key topics and can lead an organization throughout the legislative process.”
There’s 31 options, and survey-takers can check up to 10.
There’s also an open-ended text box for participants to answer “What would you like prospective candidates to know about your district and community?”
Those wanting to fill out the survey can do so here:
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
