Despite Flawed Process, Some Of Concord?s Board Stand By Repucci Hire

CONCORD, NH ? Most of the city?s nine SAU 8 Board of Education members are comfortable with the hiring of a former school superintendent from Rochester who was involved in a wrongful termination lawsuit while being interviewed for an elementary school principal position in Concord ? but there are some concerns, too, and one is calling for a reevaluation of the hire.

The district hired Kyle Repucci on May 6 to be the new principal of the Broken Ground Elementary School after a two-plus month process the district took to vet candidates. According to officials, 30 people applied for the job, with some not being certified, so they were deemed ineligible and eliminated, despite the state having alternative pathways for educators to obtain principal certification.

Eight other candidates were interviewed. Repucci was the only finalist.

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During the past two years, Repucci, the Rochester School District, and school board members in the Lilac City, have been embroiled in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by David Yasenchock, the chief technology officer for the Rochester district, for about 23 years. He claimed Repucci, at the behest of another school board member, ordered him to access the emails of school board members and provide him with the ability to check on the emails any time he wanted.

Essentially, Repucci was accused in the lawsuit of attempting to spy on his bosses, the school board members, as well as teachers and other staffers.

Yasenchock refused and asked for the request in writing.

The U.S. Army reservist and colonel, who has served the nation for 32 years, was fired two months later.

The lawsuit was active all during the time Repucci began the interview process, was interviewed for the job, and was interviewed by a search committee, which was held in March. School Superintendent Kathleen Murphy stated she was told the matter was settled when it had not been. According to documents, the court was told in early April that a settlement was being worked on, which was filed on May 8, two days after Repucci was hired.

Rochester police also investigated the incident, eventually discovering that a single school board member, Karen Stokes, had her school board and private email tracked. No criminal charges were filed. The board also chose not to investigate the incident further.

Teachers and administrators in Rochester filed complaints about district leadership in 2023. In early December, Repucci announced he would be leaving the district. His contract was bought out earlier this month.

After voting to approve him for the position, school board members in Concord, teachers at Broken Ground, union officials, and others began receiving many emails about problems in the Rochester School District during Repucci?s time as superintendent and assistant superintendent. A quick search of the Internet instantly found stories in the Rochester Voice and Foster?s Daily Democrat about the lawsuit, as well as Rochester Facebook pages full of information and accusations about problems in SAU 54.

Concord school employees involved in the process felt blindsided and deceived by the entire process.

Patch made public records requests about who was on the search committee to interview them and find out what they knew and how the process was developed. Those requests were denied. A request for the seven candidates interviewed to see if they were qualified was also denied.

Educators involved felt there would be retribution for talking about what appeared to be a flawed process, so Mike Macri, the president of the Concord Education Association, spoke for them, stating they did not know about the lawsuit or any problems in the district while interviewing the candidates.

Court documents show accusations made by Yasenchock have been established as not allegations but facts and findings. The settlement has been sealed from the public and the press but school board members have seen it.

Yasenchock?s attorney has not returned phone calls for comment. In a follow-up interview in the Voice, Yasenchock stated he could not release the settlement, but somehow, Murphy could show it to school board members.

What Did The Board Know And When Did They Know It?

On Thursday, Patch circulated eight questions to all nine school board members.

The board members were asked if they knew about the lawsuit before voting for Repucci; if they did know, did they know the specifics of the case; they were asked if what they now knew was of concern; they were asked whether they knew anything about major concerns by teachers and administrators about Repucci; whether they knew that questions were curated by the SAU 8 central office and members of the search committee were not allowed to ask their own questions; whether they had viewed the questions; whether they were confident even though there were concerns in the community; and the lack of transparency during the hiring process for major positions in the district.

Five members responded.

Pamela Walsh, an at-large school board member and the board president, did not answer the questions directly but did offer statements. She understood the frustration of some committee members and was assured Repucci would meet with staff and families again.

?In addition,? she said, ?it may make sense to reexamine the sequencing of the interview process.?

Murphy, Walsh said, did investigate an anonymous email received after the selection was made and seemed satisfied with the result.

?As you are aware,? Walsh added, ?litigation by dismissed employees is not uncommon, and often a number of allegations are made, showing only one side of a story. Board members have been briefed on the substance of the case, as well as the school district's side and the settlement.?

Walsh, whose seat is up for re-election in November, said, in follow-up questions to Patch, that the process of eyeing school district emails was open during some right-to-know requests even though that is not what the case was about. She added, ?As with all new employees, we will be closely monitoring to make sure he is the right fit.?

Barbara Higgins, another at-large school board member with the most longevity, said she did not know about the lawsuit.

?I received a message that I looked at in my driveway from a concerned citizen? after the board meeting and eyed several articles online, she said.

Higgins said she was ?bothered? by the hiring primarily because Repucci ?apparently felt comfortable keeping this out of his discussions during the interview process.? She said with social media and a 24-hour news cycle, he should have known it would all come out.

?The fact that it didn't until he was confirmed leaves me feeling a bit blindsided,? she said. ?I should be able to confirm a new hire with confidence that they have been thoroughly vetted. This puts the entire interview process on unstable ground.?

Higgins, whose seat is also up for re-election in November, found comments about retribution fears against teachers and committee members infuriating. She said Murphy and other central office administrators ?appeared to be fair and non-threatening,? but, sometimes, ?the (old) culture is hard to break.? Higgins added, ?Situations like this do nothing to ensure trust among district staff as well as the public.?

Higgins also challenged the placement of new school board members and new community members to hiring committees, saying it was illogical she was not asked to be on a hiring committee. She did not, however, challenge Jessica Campbell?s trust or integrity, adding, ?She is an incredibly earnest member with an obvious love for students and staff.? Higgins was also shocked there were ?no questions asked about such basics as literacy learning and behavior then it is easy to see how those not involved in the hiring might feel there was something else going on here.?

Higgins, who was railroaded from her job in the district after more than two decades, said she could empathize with what Repucci might be facing. She said during her interviews, she always discusses what she went through to let everyone know, ahead of time, what she went through. He needed to get out in front of any criticism or concerns ? not hide from them, to ensure officials they were not making a mistake.

?I find it hard to believe that our superintendent and board president did not know of these allegations,? Higgins added. ?The amount of information shared through their daily communication is voluminous. Much of this information never reaches the board. It is a lot of power for a superintendent and one board member. In my opinion this plays heavily into situations like this. The public assumes the entire board knows the same things. We do not. Board members chosen to hear information have knowledge while others do not. The amount of scrutiny I received related to this incident was painful. My answers were met with disdain and disbelief. I find this whole charade incredibly disheartening.?

It was Murphy?s responsibility, she said, to thoroughly vet candidates before they meet with anyone. The board, she added, ?should not be a social group or political group? or ?clique,? which was her impression of some board members ? and not entirely representative of the community.

?When citizens comment, ?More of the same,? all I can do is, sadly, agree with them,? Higgins said.

Higgins also said the Repucci hire needed to be reevaluated, especially since educators working with him may not have been afforded a completely honest opportunity to make an informed decision.

Bob Cotton, another at-large school board member, said he did not know about the lawsuit before voting to hire Repucci. He said he was not concerned about the matter because it had been settled and there were no admissions of wrongdoing or proving of allegations. Cotton said he did not have knowledge of issues in the district when Repucci was there and did not know of any concerns by Concord teachers of retribution for raising concerns about the committee process.

Cotton, whose seat is also up in November, said he had not viewed the interview questions and believed the hiring process ?followed reasonable and appropriate practices and procedures.? He added, concerning the lack of transparency, ?Personnel decisions involve discretion and the protection of individual's personal information. I believe the district has acted appropriately to date.?

Campbell also did not answer the specific questions but offered statements about the process. She felt it was imperative for those committee members who feared retribution to be represented and their concerns resolved.

?It is so important to me that people feel comfortable speaking up if something isn't right,? she said. ?I want to support a safe and healthy environment where people can express themselves.?

Campbell, who occupies a Zone C seat, representing Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4, said the 17 people involved in the process were ?passionate and invested,? and there were some ?great candidates,? but Repucci was unanimous. She said she found out about the lawsuit after he was already a finalist and was told the matter was settled.

?Unfortunately, we were not aware of these concerns during the interview process,? she said. ?I was really impressed with the transparent feedback and concerns raised by the committee when we recapped the interviews. Had we known, I am confident this would have been asked about by one of us on the committee. While the questions were curated, we were told we could submit any additional questions we would like to ask in the second interview and I am positive it would have been asked if we were aware.?

Campbell said board members were assured due diligence was done, including reference checks and a background check.

Repucci had seven letters of recommendation and ?no mention of any concerns.? She said she was ?disappointed in hearing these updates after the hiring committee met and understand the need for additional clarity? but was ?confident? appropriate steps were taken by human resources before bringing the candidates to the committee, ?and I hope to learn more in the near future.?

Campbell added the board heard from the Concord Education Association on May 17 and they relayed their concerns. In hindsight, she said, the issue was ?not discussed at length before the meeting, and it should have. I was the lead for the board on the hiring committee, and I am committed to pushing further and ensuring that our hiring process is reevaluated. Our district deserves transparency, authenticity, and accountability.?

Jim Richards, who also represents Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 in a Zone C seat, said he did not know about the lawsuit before voting or allegations of concerns by teachers or administrators in Rochester about Repucci?s leadership. He said, ?Legal matters involving an administrator always concern me,? but he was of the understanding the suit was settled with no determination against either party.

?I know it is not unusual for a terminated employee to sue their former employer,? Richards added.

Richards said candidates being asked the same questions did not bother him for the sake of fairness, and he had not viewed the questions. He also said he had confidence in the hiring and the transparency of the process, saying the public ?was given a chance to have their voice heard? and ?no one made any comments regarding? him ? even though those meetings were closed to the public outside the school community and the press.

?I believe that regardless of the candidate, there will always be some portion of the community that will not be confident in the decision,? he said. ?We have asked the Superintendent to meet with Mr. Rapucci and to ask him to talk with teachers about any concerns.?

Board Members Offering No Comment

Brenda Hasting, the vice president of the board, and Sarah Robinson, who both hold Zone C seats representing Wards 8, 9, and 10, and Cara Meeker, the secretary of the board, and Liz Boucher, who both hold a Zone B seats, representing Wards 5, 6, and 7, refused to respond to the questions.

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