Wanted: Chief Educational Officer.
Where? Tidioute Community Charter School.
CEO and TCCS founder David Craig informed the Times Observer on Friday that he was removed from his position on Wednesday.
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TCCS Board Treasurer Marjorie Manning would only confirm on Friday evening that Craig is no longer with the school. Board President Al Haney was unavailable for additional comment.
"At the June 13th board meeting of the TCCS Board of Trustees, the five members in attendance voted unanimously without explanation not to renew my contract effective immediately," Craig said in an email.
He then lashed out the board which, in his opinion, isn't working for what is best for the school.
"Over the past year, the TCCS Board has put their own personal and political agendas ahead of what is best for the school, the educational program, and the students themselves," Craig wrote. "Focusing solely on personal vendettas or gain, not one word or vote over the past 11 months has pertained to the educational program."
"I have been receiving phone calls from worried parents, teachers and students that there will not be a job or school to return to in August. I am deeply concerned for the staff, teachers and students of TCCS," he added. "I am concerned about the future of the building, the educational program and the employees of TCCS under control of this self-serving board as I have children who attend the school as well.
"The board has left TCCS in turmoil without naming a successor as of yet. I have not been asked to train a replacement with less than 45 days left to complete and submit the filing of legally required documentation or be in critical violation of the terms of the charter thus giving the WCSD (Warren County School District) grounds for immediate closure."
While critical of the board, Craig praised, at length, the successes of the school since its inception in the fall of 2005.
"The administrative leadership of TCCS has assembled an award winning staff that has thrust the school to new heights each year," he explained. "This past year several teachers were recognized at the local and state level. TCCS itself won a Title award in science from the state and was ranked in U.S. News and World Report. The administration, staff and consequentially the students have continued in spite of the poor leadership administered by the Board."
"Thousands of volunteer hours from the community have also added to this succes," he added.
The test scores also reflect the success.
The school failed to live up to the state and federal requirements in the first year it administered the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests. Since then, TCCS has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) five straight years.
For the 2010-2011 school year, 75.2 percent of TCCS students scored in the proficient or advanced ranges in reading and 75.9 scored in proficient or advanced in math.
Those numbers satisfy the federal requirements with benchmarks set at 72 percent for reading and 67 percent for math.
The school's scores have been on a steadily increasing path since its inception.
In the 2009-2010 school year, 64.3 percent of students in reading and 68.3 in math scored proficient or advanced. In 2008-2009, the numbers were 63.2 in reading and 62.4 in math; in 2007-2008 60 percent of students scored in the proficient or advanced ranges in both math and reading.
Craig said, "It has been an honor to serve the students of TCCS. I would like to thank the teachers and the support staff for all their hard work and dedication. Without their everyday diligence, sacrifice, out of the box thinking, professionalism and creativity, we were able to create a world-class, award-winning program at TCCS. It is my hope that this will continue."
Craig had been the CEO since the school's inception after serving on the faculty of Tidioute High School while it was a Warren County School District facility.