Phillipsburg schools' Pethick recounts how 'bizarre situation' came to fruition Sunday, July 01, 2007 • By DANIEL HAUSMANN • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Schools Superintendent Gordon Pethick will spend this coming week pondering his future and analyzing what led to his lame-duck status. Pethick left Friday for a family vacation to Florida, three days after a midnight vote by the school board not to renew his contract beyond June 2008. The hardest part for Pethick early Tuesday morning, he said, was seeing two administrative positions cut before him. "It's just a bizarre situation," said Pethick, of Allentown. "The things that have been built and done, seeing them tear that down was actually harder. As much as I wanted to be renewed, after they chopped off part of the district, my nonrenewal is secondary." The school board eliminated the position of director of whole school reform and special projects, and an elementary supervisor. Pethick called the nature of the cuts appalling and frightening. Pethick and Business Administrator Bill Poch attached a disclaimer to the budget submitted to the state explaining their objections. Pethick said he got out of his van Monday night and said a little prayer before the meeting -- a prayer that things wouldn't get ugly. "I'm very proud of the career I've had, proud from the sense I've been surrounded by great people," said Pethick, who has worked in the district for 35 years. "The idea was we were growing this family." Instead, the school board will begin the search for a new patriarch or matriarch. Pethick in turn will search for answers. After the 4-3 vote to not renew, Pethick asked board members Kevin DeGerolamo, Sal Patti, Thomas McGuire and Rich Turdo why. Each said they'd rather talk to him in private. Board President Paul Rummerfield declined to comment about Pethick. The 58-year-old administrator said the school board performance evaluations he saw were mostly positive. They weren't enough to save him after eight months of board fighting, failed ethics complaints, attorney shuffles, volleyed accusations, rejected recommendations and verbal scuffles with town councilmen. "It's a challenging time in the district," Pethick said. Where it went wrong In the fall, board dissatisfaction with special labor attorney Richard Bauch started to simmer. The teachers had been without a contract for five months when the board dumped Bauch and handed negotiations to full board attorney Don Morrow. "Bauch was probably the first point of contention," Pethick said. At those meetings, Rummerfield accused Pethick and other board members of stalling the hiring of a new labor attorney. Pethick said at the time he was being "set up" by remarks that he was holding up contract negotiations. In the spring, the board gave Pethick a symbolic vote of no confidence in his handling of negotiations. That came after the state rejected an ethics charged filed against DeGerolamo by Pethick and Assistant Superintendent Jacqueline Attinello. "I'm sure it was a part of it," Pethick said. "I'm sure some people were aggravated." In May, the board yet again went against Pethick and fired Andover-Morris Principal Jeanette Gilliland. Moving on Pethick spent Thursday afternoon going to schools, wishing retirees well. He met with principals and said all of them were awkward with talking to him after Tuesday morning's board action. Pethick reassured them and said it's full speed ahead for the 2007-08 school year -- a year he intends on finishing. After that, Pethick has earned tenure status with just about every level of employment in the district. He said if he stays on and is replaced he would fall back to assistant superintendent at his current $143,000 salary. Retirement is a looming option. "I don't think there would be a lot more years," Pethick said. "I just don't know where the future will bring me. While I'm away I'm going to do some thinking and see what my options are." Pethick doesn't expect a phone call from the school board asking his opinion on who his replacement should be. He said he's taken calls from parents and staff wishing him well. In the end, Pethick hopes to rewind his career and return to teaching math -- his first job at Phillipsburg when he started in 1972. He said being the head man is a lot of work. "I've felt my position as superintendent has been a gift to me," he said. "I took it seriously as an honor." Reporter Daniel Hausmann can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at dhausmann@express-times.com.