When there’s a break-up or a divorce, seldom do the people who are outside of the relationship understand what is going on. Sure, some people are just destined to part, it was just a mystery for the couple to finally learn on their own. While others, like YouTube stars Colleen Ballinger and Joshua Evans just blind side those around them with the shocking news.
In the context of the relationship between ex-Bethlehem Central High School principal Scott Landry and the respective school district to which he served, we used the “D” word. Though it may have caused a knee-jerk reaction for some readers, it couldn’t be more appropriate to describe the story that concluded last week.
So, Wednesday, Oct. 6 Bethlehem Central’s Board of Education announced it had accepted Landry’s resignation, nearly five months after he was placed on administrative leave. The news that dropped in June seemed to shock residents of the district. Here, we had a principal who had long served the community. Made connections with the YMCA and organized high school students to prepare sauce to be sold as part of a local charity effort. A few graduates even took to social media to share their support for their former principal. Neither side spoke, or could speak, as arguments were being prepared for a disciplinary hearing. But, in the end, the hearing turned into a negotiation and both sides walked away from one another. Mind you, they’re still not really talking.
SpotlightNews obtained the agreement detailing the mutual split between Landry and the district, though far from amicable. As with any divorce decree, the verbiage of the agreement includes a clause that prohibits each side to say anything negative about the other. On the flip side, it includes language that obligates the district to help Landry land a job, and offers a letter of reference, too. And, that’s where the climate of this relationship reveals itself. Words are chosen carefully. The district praises its former administrator for his ability to build relationships, which is ironic in this scenario. Meanwhile, Landry was economical with his resignation, one-sentence letter.
Taxpayers couldn’t care less as to whether flowers or hugs were exchanged during the whole process. And, we assume that didn’t happen. Instead, the fact Landry is to be paid his full salary, plus sick days and vacation time he accrued, all while on an extended vacation that will last until June is more poignant. Nonetheless, when it comes to dysfunctional relationships, it’s what’s not said that speaks volumes. With an agreement signed and filed, no one side has done anything wrong. Technically. But, in order to prove who was at fault, both would have had to battle it out in a hearing, and potentially in a courtroom. It had the potential to drag out for years, and perhaps cost the school district a lot more than the nearly $170,000 it could ultimately pay Landry.
An economical approach to end it all.
Editorial Note: Scott Landry’s name was misspelled in the print edition of this week’s editorial.