DARLINGTON - The principal of Darlington High School is getting his contract extended through mid-2014, despite questions over his performance, after a standing-room only school board meeting last week.
Many attending the meeting Monday, Jan. 21, came to voice their support of Doug McArthur and question the board over the lack of public details on his performance review. The board has discussed these details in closed sessions.
"There's never been a concrete answer what Doug's done wrong," Pat Hardyman, Darlington, said later by phone. "He runs a good school."
Jeremiah Kleiber, school board member, declined to reveal what the issue has been with McArthur, only that it is based on performance only and not any sort of violation. Several other board members did not respond to phone calls.
"I'm not sure what the line is, what I can say and what I can't say," Kleiber said, referencing the confidentiality of personnel matters.
McArthur declined to comment when reached by phone last week.
He has been on an official improvement plan and had two mentors working with him for about a year, Kleiber said. "Before that, we had talked with him several times."
The board has voted to offer McArthur another one-year contract, but details of the contract have yet to be hammered out. The next board meeting is Feb. 4.
"There was nothing easy about the decision," Kleiber said of last week's vote. "I definitely considered everything that was said, but I don't think I heard anything new."
Kleiber said he received numerous emails before the meeting, both for and against McArthur's contract renewal. He estimates support for McArthur to be evenly split 50/50 among the people who have contacted him or come to meetings, though supporters have been more vocal, he said.
What makes his job as a school board member hard is that "a lot of (supporters) don't have the full story." At the same time, Kleiber said he can't talk openly about what he knows.
The lack of transparency is frustrating to Tim McGettigan, Darlington.
"It has been covered up or kept from the public," he said. "Anytime something comes up that (school board members) hate to have debated openly, they go into that executive session."
McGettigan and his wife Annette are supporting McArthur, who coached their son in football. McArthur was a star coach at the high school in the 1980s and 1990s, taking the team to finals and several championships.
"We have tremendous respect for him," Annette McGettigan said.
The recent outpouring of public support for McArthur is gratifying to witness, her husband said. It "was small town grassroots municipal activity at its best."
Many attending the meeting Monday, Jan. 21, came to voice their support of Doug McArthur and question the board over the lack of public details on his performance review. The board has discussed these details in closed sessions.
"There's never been a concrete answer what Doug's done wrong," Pat Hardyman, Darlington, said later by phone. "He runs a good school."
Jeremiah Kleiber, school board member, declined to reveal what the issue has been with McArthur, only that it is based on performance only and not any sort of violation. Several other board members did not respond to phone calls.
"I'm not sure what the line is, what I can say and what I can't say," Kleiber said, referencing the confidentiality of personnel matters.
McArthur declined to comment when reached by phone last week.
He has been on an official improvement plan and had two mentors working with him for about a year, Kleiber said. "Before that, we had talked with him several times."
The board has voted to offer McArthur another one-year contract, but details of the contract have yet to be hammered out. The next board meeting is Feb. 4.
"There was nothing easy about the decision," Kleiber said of last week's vote. "I definitely considered everything that was said, but I don't think I heard anything new."
Kleiber said he received numerous emails before the meeting, both for and against McArthur's contract renewal. He estimates support for McArthur to be evenly split 50/50 among the people who have contacted him or come to meetings, though supporters have been more vocal, he said.
What makes his job as a school board member hard is that "a lot of (supporters) don't have the full story." At the same time, Kleiber said he can't talk openly about what he knows.
The lack of transparency is frustrating to Tim McGettigan, Darlington.
"It has been covered up or kept from the public," he said. "Anytime something comes up that (school board members) hate to have debated openly, they go into that executive session."
McGettigan and his wife Annette are supporting McArthur, who coached their son in football. McArthur was a star coach at the high school in the 1980s and 1990s, taking the team to finals and several championships.
"We have tremendous respect for him," Annette McGettigan said.
The recent outpouring of public support for McArthur is gratifying to witness, her husband said. It "was small town grassroots municipal activity at its best."