Dr. Andrae Townsel, New Principal At Southbridge High

Revisiting Span Of Control At SMHS

Ken O’Brien

Back in 2012 when this issue first arose I wrote a piece on the subject of whether Southbridge Middle/High School should have one or two principals.Tuesday night's meeting of the Southbridge School Committee will once again address this issue.

Interim Superintendent Timothy Connors will recommend operating the middle/high school as two separate facilities in one building according to the Worcester Telegram.

The core issue is whether Southbridge Middle/High School will have one principal with oversight of the entire school or two independent principals – one for the Middle School and one for the High School.That is, which administrative model, one or two principals, makes the most sense from a management standpoint?

Earls Tenders Resignation From SMHS

Melissa Earls has submitted her resignation from Southbridge Middle/High School effective June 30^th, according to The Worcester Telegram.

Mrs. Earls said she has been hired as head of schools for Academy Hill School in Springfield, a pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 independent school for gifted and talented students. Its enrollment is approximately 107 students. Mrs. Earls said the head of schools there is leaving for a post at a similar but larger school in Virginia. "This place came after me. I didn’t send an application out," said Mrs. Earls, whose daughter, Emma, will graduate from Academy Hill School this year. 

Telegram Article Focuses On Bishop Candidacy

Ken O’Brien

The Worcester Telegram is reporting on former Southbridge High School Principal William Bishop’s candidacy for the School Committee in an article entitled “Fired principal running for school board in Southbridge” by Brian Lee.

The article states, “One month before opening the middle-high school on Torrey Road in 2012, then-high school Principal William K. Bishop was shown the exit, in a controversial, last-minute job elimination.

“Mr. Bishop, who had a year left on his contract and had expressed a desire to retire after fulfilling it, is now running for School Committee of the underperforming district in the June 30 election.

The Hypocrites’ Ball

Ken O’Brien

After slow-walking the superintendent search process the hit-and-run Chair of the School Committee and her sycophants decided that the Acting Superintendent’s contract should be extended and the selection of a permanent superintendent should be left to the incoming committee.

In a related matter, immediately following her contract extension, the newest one-year wonder presented a plan to reorganize the middle/high school. The (supposedly) carefully-crafted, extensively vetted plan had no associated job descriptions and no budgetary impact associated with it. 

Wanted – (Another) New Principal At SMHS

Ken O’Brien

Last Sunday in our article Opa City we made mention of the sudden leave-taking by Southbridge Middle/High School Principal Amy Allen.

Ms. Allen has been in the position less than a year. Prior to becoming Principal she had spent about a year as the district’s Curriculum Director.

In keeping with the ongoing pattern of recent years, it became obvious yesterday that Ms. Allen definitely would not be returning to the Principal’s position.

What clinched it was a posting that appeared yesterday on the site SchoolSpring.com. School Spring is an employment site for professionals in the education field. 

Which Came First…?

Ken O’Brien

Tammy Perreault

On Friday , December 21^st, we learned that Southbridge Middle/High School Principal Tammy Perreault had been put on administrative leave.

This fulfilled a prediction made by Dennis Martinek on his blog Speak Out Southbridge. On December 13^th he wrote in an article titled “As if things in Southbridge couldn’t get any worse”, “Tomorrow, or early next week, you will hear some rather shocking news that few people I’ve spoken with saw coming.”

In a follow up article published in the same blog today, “Another one bites the dust in Southbridge”, he confirmed that it was Ms. Perreault’s suspension to which he was referring. In response to one commenter on the article he wrote, “This is half of the big news that I was telling you was coming.” To another he wrote, “…I have to say, I knew, but decided to hold-off until something could be verified,..” 

This chronology of events raises a troubling issue.

Breaking News: Perreault To Be Named Principal Of Southbridge Middle/High School

 Ken  O’Brien

Updated with new material from the Office of the Southbridge Superintendent of Schools after the page break (8/3/12 - 8:30 am).


The O’Zone has learned from reliable sources that Tammy Perreault, M,Ed, currently Director of Mathematics, K-12, within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction within the school district, will be named Principal of the new Southbridge Middle/High School.

A formal announcement is expected to be forthcoming imminently.

UPDATE: The Worcester Telegram is reporting (8/3/12, 4:30 am) Superintendent announces two new principals Tammy Perreault at the Southbridge Middle/High School and Dana Labb at West Street Elementary School. The article also elaborates upon what appears to be a bitter conflict between school committee members Scott Lazo and Mary Ellen Prencipe.

One Principal At Southbridge Middle/High? The Span of Control Issue

Ken O’Brien

Tonight’s meeting of the Southbridge School Committee will address an issue that has drawn a lot of attention in recent days for a variety of reasons. The agenda item reads:

“Vote to reorganize the Middle and High School Administration to create a new position of Principal of Southbridge Middle/High School (job description attached), and three (3) Assistant Principals for Southbridge Middle/High School, thereby abolishing the current positions titled, Southbridge High School Principal, Southbridge Middle (Mary E. Wells) School Principal, High School Assistant Principal, and Middle (Mary E. Wells) School Assistant Principal/Dean of Students.”