Schools leader takes flak

Since becoming superintendent of the Swampscott public schools eight months ago, Matthew Malone has insisted that change was necessary for the 2,400-student school district to excel. But not all teachers and parents agree with his decisions.

Since the summer, he's hired a controversial interim high school principal, and decided not to rehire curriculum directors as well as a storied baseball coach. These moves, along with complaints from teachers questioning his administrative and communication skills, have some wondering if Malone can complete his three-year contract.

''You've got a high school that's in disarray, the teachers are very unhappy, and I believe it's because of a lack of leadership from the superintendent," said Richard Feinberg, who served on the School Committee from 1987 to 2002. ''There's a feeling that he's on a rudderless boat."

Last summer, Malone -- a former assistant to the superintendent in San Diego -- became the third person to head the district in less than a year. In October 2004, Brian Coughlin resigned and was replaced by Carol Sager, who served in the interim, through June 2005. In July, Malone was heralded by the School Committee as a fresh voice who would stabilize a district long recognized for sending students to top-ranked colleges.

But just weeks after starting his post, Malone, 35, ran into problems with the teachers' union. Besides not rehiring curriculum directors, whose positions were cut last year by his predecessor, he also hired an interim high school principal, Carol Blotner, who quickly developed strained relations with the union. Malone also added a second assistant principal, which the union protested as a violation of its contract. ''Morale is low," said Paul Maguire, a 24-year social studies teacher and president of the 200-teacher union.

Maguire charged that the new administration is inefficient and has instilled a lack of discipline among the students. ''Teachers risk being humiliated and/or reprimanded in front of students when they seek disciplinary support from the administration," said Maguire. Maguire also said textbooks and computerized ''smartboards" had been misplaced in the high school for months and only recently were delivered to classes. Also, according to Maguire, the theft of 15 computer hard drives was not reported to police.

Blotner, who served as a middle school principal in Marblehead last year, acknowledged that morale was low among the school's teachers. ''It's a normal reaction," said Blotner, who credited the teachers with helping to steer the high school through a change in leadership last year, when former principal Steven O'Brien announced he would leave after just two years on the job. ''There was a leadership vacuum and they kept the ship afloat, and they were very empowered by it. And now all of the sudden, there is leadership, and the leadership says that certain things need to be done here."

The tension between the teachers' union and the administration simmered below the surface at the school until January, when Malone decided not to rehire longtime baseball coach Frank DeFelice. DeFelice, whose teams won 465 games over a 35-year coaching career, was not recommended by a search committee that conducted 30-minute interviews with the candidates. Instead, the committee recommended T.J. Baril, an assistant baseball coach at Shawsheen Valley Technical in Billerica, who had not managed before.

DeFelice, 65, had a record of 81-33 in the past five years, and called Malone's decision ''political." Malone said Baril was a better candidate. ''I knew there was going to be a ton of heat once the recommendation was made to me. I still think it was the right decision," said Malone.

Former School Committee member Sandy Tennant criticized Malone's decision, saying that ''Frank represents a tradition of excellence."

Tennant, a DeFelice supporter who has two children in high school, helped raise more than $140,000 during the last year to help subsidize high school sports and extracurricular activities. ''I believe that Matt has an issue of credibility."

To date, Malone has the support of the School Committee. School Committee member Shelley Sackett said she admires Malone's vision and his desire to make changes in a town that does not always embrace change.

''I think he did step into a situation that was fraught with potential hazards," said Sackett, referring to the town's multiple superintendents and high school principals over the last few years.

Malone says he's working on becoming a better listener, and is negotiating with the union to bring back curriculum directors. ''There's been some bad times, feelings have been hurt, people have felt devalued," said Malone. '' So we need to acknowledge that, come to an agreement, and then move forward together as a team."

Malone -- who likens running a school district to being a chief executive officer of a business -- said he is on target to implement this year's School Committee strategic plan, which includes hiring a technology director, an executive director of teaching and learning, and conducting a fiscal and special education audit of the district.

Maguire, the union president, thinks morale could change if curriculum directors are reinstated. However, he objects to the notion that a school can be run like a business. ''A school is not a business," he said. ''Teaching is an art, and I think people try to make it a science."