Abrupt exit for Norwood schools chief
The Norwood School Committee has voted to accept the abrupt resignation of interim school superintendent John Moretti, after he stormed from a public meeting.
“I lost my composure,’’ he said yesterday, a day after the outburst. “You don’t do that. In 16 years as a superintendent, it’s never happened before. But these things happen.’’
The situation exploded during a committee meeting Wednesday while Moretti was responding to concerns of parents who were unhappy with a new special education inclusion program being offered this year. Committee member Eleanor Travers asked Moretti to change the tone of his voice, committee chairman Paul Samargedlis said.
According to Samargedlis, Moretti vigorously defended himself in the exchange, which was being covered by the local cable television access channel.
Moretti said that during his outburst he invited the school board to dismiss him, because, he said, “I decided I would not want to be working there any more, so I indicated they should fire me.’’
Other than that, Moretti said, “I have no other comment except that I’d just want my body of work to speak for me.’’
Samargedlis said he called a recess after the exchange, and in an executive session board members agreed to accept Moretti’s resignation. They appointed assistant superintendent Jeffrey Granatino as interim superintendent.
Moretti, the former superintendent of the Mansfield school district, was hired as Norwood’s interim superintendent for the 2008-2009 school year. But when the School Committee failed to find a candidate they wanted to hire, they got a waiver from the state to allow Moretti to stay on for another year.
