Well now we know more about Supt. Ushma Shah’s abrupt resignation from District 97 elementary schools, just days ahead of the school’s opening for the fall.
The Journal obtained her letter of resignation via a Freedom of Information Act filing. And it is not the standard issue “Thanks and I wish you well” sort of resignation letter. There was some fire in this one as Shah cited a lack of “mutual trust and mutual confidence that I need in order to continue in this role.” Shah went on to cite what she perceived as a threat of imminent punitive action by the board toward her that involved outside legal counsel. Any such action, she wrote, “will further set us back in terms of trust and collaboration.”
The school board may have learned some lesson over the past difficult week of public questioning as it moved slightly away from the “superintendent was a great visionary but we’ll have no comment on this personnel matter” strategy. Instead, alongside the release of Shah’s resignation letter the board issued a statement pointing out that it had extended the superintendent’s contract by two years last May and that her resignation on Aug. 12 took them by surprise. The statement said the board was not considering any punitive action against the superintendent.
The money line in the board’s crafted statement is that it was working to “provide timely support and feedback on aspects of her leadership.”
And again, we have the board’s declaration that this will be its only statement on the matter. We shall see.