A Derry school board member has resigned, leaving the job she’s held since March and saying she couldn’t continue in the current board environment.
Katie Delay resigned Monday, notifying board Chairman David Clapp prior to the scheduled school board meeting.
She is the second board member to resign. Wilbert Danger resigned last month.
An agenda item on the board’s agenda Monday night was to vote to censure Delay for her attendance issues and failure to be involved in the board’s work for the past several weeks, an effort that was approved by four of the six members present.
A censure, according to board members, is a formal disapproval in a public way.
Clapp read a letter that he and Vice Chairman Michael Thiele had sent to Delay with concerns about her performance as a board member, reading a list of her absences in past months and saying she wasn’t performing her duties as per board rules and expectations.
Prior to reading the censure letter, Clapp said doing this was not something he wanted to do.
“This gives me no pleasure in doing this,” Clapp said. “But (Michael Thiele) and I have reached out numerous times to work with Katie and it’s fallen on deaf ears.”
The censure letter spelled out specific dates where Delay was absent, both from regular board meetings, budget meetings and specific committee meetings she was a part of.
Clapp continued, saying being a school board member had expectations attached to the job, including being prepared and present for meetings.
Board member Jonathan Dugan agreed.
“It’s a minimum expectation to show up,” Dugan said.
Following her resignation, Delay said Tuesday she remains committed and passionate about the school district, but can no longer serve in what she called “a toxic environment, feeling like I’m not valued and have no voice.”
Delay had been outspoken about her views against a plan to close Derry Village Elementary School along with a major restructuring plan in the district now in place.
Prior to the censure vote, board member Brenda Willis, who eventually voted against the censure, said there was a lot of what she felt was unfairness toward Delay.
“When she came on the board it was difficult,” Willis said at the recent meeting. “And that’s where I’ll leave it.”
Anthony Henry, who serves the board as its student Pinkerton Academy representative, stepped away from that role at the Monday night meeting to speak publicly about the censure.
“I’m disappointed in this censure,” Anthony told the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. “The past year has been rough and I feel some members of this board have been bullies to other people. You’re going to make yourselves look really bad in the future.”
Henry concluded by saying he felt the decision was “incredibly unfair.”
The board put out a call following Danger’s resignation last month, asking anyone interested in taking a school board spot to send letters of interest.
That led to the board appointing Jennifer Theroux to finish out this year’s term until the election next March.
The board will once again be accepting letters of interest to fill the vacancy left by Delay.
Anyone interested can send letters to the district office at 18 South Main St., Derry, N.H. 03038 by Dec. 10.
