By SCOTT MERZBACH
Staff Writer
Thursday, February 15, 2018
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SOUTH HADLEY MA
SOUTH HADLEY — The charter school head arrested on drug charges last month remains on paid leave while school trustees work out the terms of his departure.
George Simpson handed in his resignation as head of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School more than a week ago, but the board of trustees did not accept it.
“My resignation and offer of separation was not accepted by the board and I am currently still head of school for PVPA,” Simpson said in an email Thursday.
Trustees president Melinda Winter said the board voted against accepting Simpson’s resignation because it would have required the school to keep him in his job and pay him through June 30.
“The resignation was not accepted in that form because its terms would have allowed him to continue as head of school,” Winter said.
The board instead placed Simpson on paid administrative leave and is establishing a task force that will consider whether to fire him.
Additionally, Simpson is banned from the school and school events without specific permission.
Simpson wouldn’t elaborate on why he decided to resign or whether it is related to his arrest on drug charges last month in Reading.
“I won’t discuss the specifics of why I offered my resignation at this time,” Simpson said.
But he confirmed that he is in negotiations with trustees for determining how he will leave the position.
Simpson’s resignation came about two weeks after his Jan. 27 arrest on charges of possession of heroin and methamphetamine. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Woburn District Court two days later, was released on his own personal recognizance and is expected back for a pretrial hearing March 14.
His attorney, David Perry, released a statement that he is confident Simpson “will be cleared of these charges and his reputation as an accomplished, dedicated educator will remain untarnished.”
Winter said the board on Tuesday discovered the existence of criminal complaints against Simpson and, while she noted these don’t establish guilt, the board has an obligation to protect the school’s interests.
“In an open session on the evening of Feb. 13, following an executive session, the board voted to place Mr. Simpson on paid administrative leave pending further investigation, with a direction that he not enter PVPA property or attend events for which PVPA has power to exclude him without specific permission obtained prior to the event,” Winter said in a statement.
That evening, the board also approved the creation of the three-member task force, made up of Winter and fellow trustees Donovan Arthen and James Barnhill, to consider whether to terminate Simpson’s employment agreement for cause pursuant to provisions in his contract.
The task force will identify issues that could justify terminating Simpson’s employment agreement, provide him with an opportunity to respond to those issues, and to make a report and recommendations to the full board “as soon as reasonably possible,” Winter said.
The board will post notice of this task force’s meetings, but it remains uncertain if they will be open or closed to the public.
In late September, Simpson, 45, was arrested by Agawam police and charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failing to stop for police and improper operation of a motor vehicle after reportedly driving north in the southbound lane on Route 5. Westfield District Court Judge Philip Contant continued that case without finding until June 1, and Simpson was put on probation.
On Jan. 31, based on the Reading charges, the Westfield court issued a warrant for Simpson’s arrest for noncompliance with probation.
Before joining PVPA, Simpson worked as chief innovation officer for the arts in the public school system in Newark, N.J. Before that, he worked as district coordinator for visual and performing arts in the Cambridge Public School system, as well as administrative roles in other school systems in Boston and Los Angeles. He also worked as a music teacher in Calgary, Alberta, and as chairman of the music department at the Boston Arts Academy from 1999 to 2006.