Brighton Community Reacts to Possible Departure of Superintendant

It was a night of stark emotion during Thursday night’s special Board of Education meeting, filled with accusations and questions from staff, parents and students following Monday’s announcement of Superintendent Greg Gray’s possible departure from Brighton Area Schools. 

“The reason people leave is not money,” said Arnella Park, a Brighton High School teacher. “The number one reason is conflict with other employees or other people you work with and that’s the reason he’s leaving. Every one of you know that. You made it impossible for him to work with you.”

Gray was not present at the meeting due to an interview with the Portage School District, however, there is still no decision on whether or not he will leave Brighton.

During the public comments, many audience members called into question the working relationship between the board and Gray, firing questions at the trustees regarding the district’s future, including hiring a replacement. 

“I understand that you now have to hire a new superintendent,” one Brighton resident said. “Who are we going to get when you (school board) have been bashing our district?” 

Ellen Lafferty, president of the Brighton Education Association, predicted a “parade of great leadership” would soon be leaving the district. 

“And you need to take personal responsibility for it,” Lafferty said. “Your antics have caused it. Your undermining has caused it. Your inexperience and lack of knowledge have caused it. …And that opinion of, if they don’t like it they can go somewhere else, how’s that working right now?”

Tensions began to rise among the audience when School Board Trustee Nick Fiani then gave a thumbs-up signal to Lafferty’s question with several disgusted audience members calling his gesture “unprofessional.”

No motion regarding a potential offer was taken during the board meeting, at the request of Gray himself, according to Brighton School Board President Miles Vieau, who had said that Gray had asked that the meeting not even take place.

"He (Gray) said that's (offer) not going to change anything," Vieau said. "He (Gray) said that if I'm going to stay in Brighton I would not accept a pay raise until the job I started is complete."

Vieau also said that Gray explained to him that his consideration of the Portage Public Schools position was a career move for him and his family and was not based on the actions or working relationship with the board.

The board chose to still hold the meeting to explain the situation to the public and give them the opportunity to speak, according to Vieau. 

The next school board meeting will take place on April 22 where the 2013- 2014 budget is expected to be approved.