Stillwater Area Public Schools will begin talks with its Superintendent Denise Pontrelli about leaving the job. She says she is not interested.
School board members voted 5-2 at a meeting Thursday to negotiate a separation agreement with Pontrelli. She has led the nearly 8,300-student district since 2015.
The vote came after a contentious meeting that featured supporters and critics of the superintendent shouting and interrupting each other. Pontrelli’s controversial BOLD initiative from 2016 in which three elementary schools were closed was brought up more than once in the discussion Thursday.
“It is clear to me that something needs to change,” board member Sarah Stivland said. “I do not know what exactly that change will look like. I am no longer willing to accept the current reality.”
It’s unclear what the time frame is and what the potential buyout of Pontrelli would be. The next meeting is scheduled for July 25 where a public forum will be held on the topic.
SUPERINTENDENT RESPONDS
Hours after the vote, Pontrelli released a statement. It read:
“I have no interest in entering into exploratory conversations with the school board to pursue a possible separation agreement. I believe this conversation would only serve to further divide our community, stretch our already stretched resources, and create more disruption and change in our system — none of which would be in the best interest of our students.
“I am incredibly proud of the work underway within our district on behalf of our students. We continually hear from our teachers in the buildings that they feel supported and appreciate the direction we’re moving. Parents continually share their satisfaction with what is happening in our schools. And our students have more voice and are more engaged than ever.
“I remain interested in collaborating with this school board to work through concerns together. I believe we have the opportunity to model to our students and community what it looks like to work through differences to come to a positive outcome. That is my focus both today and into the future.”
Pontrelli has led the district since 2015 when she came over from Spring Lake Public Schools, where she served as the assistant superintendent and director of educational services.
Her salary for 2019-2020 is $192,932, and her salary for 2020-2021 is $195,826. Her current contract expires June 30, 2021.
DISTRICT TURMOIL
Pontrelli has been the focus of the ire of many parents and community leaders since 2016 when her Building Opportunities to Learn and Discover plan (BOLD) closed three elementary schools.
District locations in the south were over capacity while locations in the north were in decline. Pontrelli’s plan was presented as seeking to trade “empty classrooms” for “right-sized schools” where all students had the same opportunities districtwide. School board members at the time approved the closures.
Parents of students in schools marked for closure objected and unsuccessfully sued the district to keep them open.
A petition was started in 2016 titled “Save Stillwater Area Public Schools; Demand for Resignation of Superintendent Pontrelli” and got 1,000 supporters.