The Charter School of Wilmington Board of Directors will keep President Ron Russo at the helm of the highly successful school for at least the next year after hearing from several students, parents and faculty members upset at a possible shift.
The Charter School Board canceled a special meeting it had scheduled for the night of July 29. The focal point of the agenda had been an executive session – closed to the public – for personnel reasons. The Board had contemplated reassigning Russo to an external affairs position, but several school community members balked, citing Russo as the reason for the school’s statewide success and national recognition.
In announcing the cancellation of the meeting, Charter Board President Raymond Seigfried and Russo issued a joint statement.
“While we have been discussing important issues, the great passion and concern for the Charter School of Wilmington expressed by parents, faculty and students has reminded us of the importance of renewing our efforts to engage in even more open and honest conversation with each other,” the statement said in part. … "[N]o changes are planned for next year.”
Seigfried, vice president of administration at Christiana Care, declined to comment further.
While he and the Board have had disagreements, Russo believes there’s nothing they cannot resolve by just sitting down and talking it out.
One of the differences of opinion centered on what kind of organizational structure Charter should have in the immediate future, said Russo, who runs the school's internal and external operations.
“They were leaning toward a president who runs external operations and another position that handles internal operations," Russo said. "That may happen. But I don’t think we’re there now.”
The difference of opinion was strong enough for Russo to retain Wilmington attorney Thomas Neuberger as his legal counsel – just in case.
“The discussions were starting to get into an area where it would just be good to have someone looking after my interests, to advise me and point out legal issues.”
About 200 people attended an emergency meeting scheduled by the Charter PTA an hour before the Board was to meet. Parents and students said they were happy Russo will remain the school chief, at least for the upcoming school year.
Among them was Centreville resident Madeleine Hahn, a 2008 graduate.
“I'm just glad to know that the Board is listening to us after all,” said Hahn, who will attend Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. She was among a plethora of students who spoke in support of Russo at the Board’s July 22 meeting.
Charter 2007 graduate Kathleen Kenney of Wilmington and 2008 graduate Kim Leonard of Brandywine Hundred also attended the PTA meeting Tuesday night. Both now attend the University of Delaware.
“I definitely think Russo should stay around,” Leonard said.
Brandywine Hundred resident Glenn Bleakney, whose daughter Lauren is a rising Charter senior, was elated.
“Why would we want to mess with the success we’ve had here,” he said.
The school, chartered by the Red Clay Consolidated School District in 1995, perennially ranks No. 1 in the state for students meeting or exceeding English and mathematics standards.
But Wayne Cooper of Brandywine Hundred said the good relationship enjoyed for the last 13 years between the board, the parents and the teachers had somehow eroded.
“It’s a matter of us following up and continuing to make sure we participate so we can correct it,” said Cooper, whose son Carter is a rising sophomore at Charter.
Several parents and students expressed happiness that Russo is staying, but they expressed a need for the Board to be more informative. The Board has declined to discuss Russo’s future publicly, citing it as a confidential personnel issue.
But Brandywine Hundred resident Keith Wing urged everyone to use caution before rushing to judgment of the Board of Directors, who include appointees from DuPont, Hercules, Christiana Care, AstraZeneca, Delmarva Power and Wilmington Savings Fund Society. (They serve indefinite terms, at the pleasure of their respective chief executives.)
“A whole bunch of us work for these corporations. I work for DuPont. Some of you may work for Delmarva Power or AstraZeneca,” said Wing, whose daughter Allison is an incoming junior and son Grant is an incoming freshman. “They’re still part of our community and we still want them to be involved.”
PTA President Terri Tabah of Newark said she is just as upset with the Board as anyone else. But, everyone has to remember “it is a thankless job,” she said.
“Maybe we’ve just [awakened] them and that’s what we needed to do,” said Tabah, who has had three children graduate from Charter.
During the PTA meeting, Russo addressed the rumor that what caused the Board to think about reassigning him was an allegation of sexual harassment. He said some parents are familiar with his sense of humor, which occasionally includes double entendres.
“Somebody complained about that. That’s what we’re talking about,” he said.
