The 43-year relationship between former Superintendent Jerry McCullough and the Arlington school district comes to a quiet end Monday, when his contract expires.
McCullough's career included 15 years as deputy superintendent from 1993 until 2008, two six-month terms as interim superintendent and four years as superintendent.But after high school graduation ceremonies last spring, McCullough never returned to his job as chief of the state's ninth-largest district. He also didn't show up at the scheduled school board meeting a few days later, and trustees would only cite "personal matters" when asked to explain his absence.On June 7, board President Peter Baron read a terse statement announcing McCullough's departure and thanking him for his service.And, after four decades, that was thatA Star-Telegram examination of documents obtained under the Texas Public Information Act, as well as news reports and various communications from readers, revealed no "smoking gun" but did find suggestions that discord had been brewing for some time in the district of 64,000 students.Some parents suggested that the district worked in secret and that administrators were unresponsive. Teachers and staff members criticized campus appointments. Massive staff and budget cuts, faced by districts across the state, created fear and were handled poorly, some charged.McCullough was appointed interim superintendent in 2008, when Hector Montenegro's tenure ended after only a few months. Montenegro was dismissed when it was discovered that he had ties with vendors that did business with the district.By the time McCullough was permanently appointed in 2009, things had already begun to sour as Arlington, like school districts across the state, dealt with significant budget shortfalls. Funding cuts during the 2011 legislative session left the district scrambling to cut its $389.7 million budget.During 2011, the district eliminated 631 positions as part of a $24.6 million budget reduction, including more than 200 classroom teaching jobs, which the district said were lost mostly through attrition. The massive cuts shocked the staff, and some complained that McCullough was insensitive, sending form letters to longtime educators who had been his colleagues."When little loyalty is shown from the bosses up the line, it really permeates and creates extreme fear about teaching and taking risks," said Dane Hartley, who taught in Arlington for 10 years. "Very detrimental to creating a proper learning environment."In January 2012, the United Educators Association teachers group presented the board with a survey of 1,400 Arlington teachers. Two-thirds believed that the district was headed in the wrong direction.Some teachers said they worked in fear because of too much pressure to improve student test scores.By April, rumors circulated about a "hit list" of teachers whose jobs were in jeopardy."I did not agree with all his policies or decisions," said Hartley.But Hartley added that he never doubted McCullough's commitment to students.No-fault agreementThough McCullough's contract expires Monday, the parties involved still won't talk.McCullough, who officially resigned, was put on paid administrative leave. His base salary was $235,000; he received $162,637 in remaining pay and $8,605 in accrued service benefits from June through Monday.The separation agreement said that both McCullough and district "expressly deny any liability, misconduct or wrongdoing on either side.""The parties agree that they will not discuss, publicize, email, issue a press release, post on the Internet or otherwise communicate or disseminate any information concerning this agreement," it says.Calls to McCullough's Arlington home were not returned last week. Baron, the board president, declined to comment on "a personnel matter.""We're pretty limited on what we can say, based on the agreement," said trustee Tony Pompa. "The one thing I can say is that Jerry never, ever did anything wrong. People kept saying at first that he must have done something wrong, and that's not true."Parents, teachers, the media and taxpayers pressed the board for details after McCullough left."I tell people when they say, 'We have a right to know what happened,' that the people involved also have a right to be protected from legal action," Pompa said.Communications between McCullough and the trustees during his final active semester in spring 2012 reveal concerns, although there is little evidence of a feud or major showdown.In early May, a parent complained of a lack of communication with McCullough in a message to every board member and described a perception of secrecy in how the district dealt with the public, records indicate."I am a parent of two AISD students. I want to know why the parents are never able to talk to the Assistant Superintendent or Superintendent. Everything that goes on in the school district is covered up. ... I am writing to you to see if you can give me a call or email me about the things going on in AISD."Other email exchanges show McCullough often directed parental questions and concerns to administrators with first-hand knowledge of the areas in question, a common practice among superintendents.The issues lingered despite McCullough's attempts to quell them.Typical of the complaints were these received by trustee Aaron Reich, and passed on to McCullough, from teachers at an elementary and junior high school about their campus administrators:"They're not happy at all with their current principal and are stating their concern for their school and for any other school that would get this individual," Reich told McCullough, without naming the principal, according to the documents.Teachers at one junior high teachers told Reich that as many as 30 teachers would leave if a certain assistant was named principal.Shortly after McCullough became superintendent, he changed the way principals were selected districtwide. His protocols are still being used, one school representative said.Under the current system, the personnel department visits with campus staff to gather input and create a profile for hiring a new principal. The former system included input from only a few employees and community members during the interview and selection process, district officials said.Several principals departed during McCullough's tenure, including 23 in his last two years.The exodus was dismissed both by district sources and the UEA as normal retirement and turnover.But others attributed the drain of veteran campus leaders to overwhelming paperwork, crushing administrative duties and little administrative support, according to Hartley.The district has moved on since June, and his successor has proved to be popular with employees and community members.Marcelo Cavazos, deputy superintendent at the time of McCullough's departure, was named the permanent superintendent on Dec. 6.Cavazos has been instrumental in crafting the district's three-year Strategic Plan, a wide-ranging blueprint for the future.As for McCullough, despite recent events, many of those interviewed defended his reputation."Mr. McCullough deserves to be remembered well in Arlington," Hartley said. "He served well."This report contains material from Star-Telegram archivesShirley Jinkins, 817-390-7657Twitter: @startelegramHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
