METHUEN — The entire School Committee is up for re-election Tuesday and they're facing two challengers: a veteran of Methuen politics and a political newcomer.
Three-term City Councilor Kenneth Willette Jr. has to leave his post because of the city's term limits and he is trying to cross over to the School Committee, on which he served two, two-year terms before joining the City Council.
"I'm going in there to clean up what I perceive as an overarching power grab by the superintendent, a lack of transparency and accountability," Willette said.
Joining Willette in challenging the six incumbents is stay-at-home mother and political novice Jeri-an Batal.
"I'd love to see more people do it," Batal said about running for office.
One of the School Committee's most high-profile tasks is hiring and firing a superintendent. Some candidates said Superintendent Jeanne Whitten is doing a great job, while others gave her mixed reviews.
Incumbent Robert Vogler said Whitten needs to improve her communication.
"I don't think there was good communication last year with the budget," Vogler said.
"She informs us of different things. I don't see a communication problem there. We're made aware of everything that's happening," said fellow incumbent George Kazanjian.
"I know she's the best superintendent I absolutely have ever seen," said Kenneth Henrick, another incumbent. "I've dealt with eight others before her, they never were in the same league as her."
Henrick said Whitten listens to people, treats people nicely and makes people comfortable when they're in her office by doing little things, like providing them with food that she paid for.
"She handles herself with so much tact. She doesn't hold a grudge. She doesn't raise her voice," he said.
"She's really a very nice person," Batal said.
But Batal said she was dissatisfied with the budget passed last summer.
Five program assistants and six custodians remained laid off, but school officials expect to recall one of the custodians within the next two weeks due to a vacancy left by a retiring custodian, according to Methuen Human Resources Director Colleen McCarthy.
School Committee member Gary Marcoux said the committee sets goals for the superintendent, and she has met those goals.
Marcoux conceded that "we could have handled the budgetary process better."
"Hopefully, if I'm elected next Tuesday, we'll take a look at that budgetary process and make it more inclusive and try to have more meetings to roll that process out," he said.
Willette, perhaps Whitten's toughest critic, criticized her communication and negotiation skills.
"I think she has done very poorly in not only communicating a mission to the residents of Methuen but also in terms of sacrificing her salary for the greater good of the community," he said.
Willette said Whitten should have cut her own $164,500 annual pay when she tried to convince the teachers union to take a reduction to help avert layoffs last spring.
"I think leadership starts at the top and if she initiated her own personal salary cutback, that might have motivated the other negotiating groups with the Methuen public schools to push forward similar concessions," Willette said.
First-term committee member Evan Chaisson agreed Whitten has trouble communicating, but he said the School Committee has improved the situation.
"We have started to bring some transparency to the committee by offering public participation at every meeting, having all our meetings televised and webcasted," he said.
Incumbent Barbara Grondine also said communication is a problem for Whitten.
"I don't think she listens, and she should be more aware of what is going on in the community. A lot of times, I feel our concerns are ignored," Grondine said.
Willette criticized Whitten for cutting the job of the residency enforcement officer who ensured that students attending Methuen schools actually live in Methuen.
Cutting the officer has caused the schools to become more crowded, Willette said.
Batal said the School Department spends too much on administrators and not enough on increasing the number of people who work directly with students.
"We're too top heavy. We have secretaries to secretaries to assistants to assistants," she said.
"I think if we cut from the top we'll have enough for our kids."
