Dr. John Goldhardt discusses rejection of Superintendent position, says board was 'slanderous'
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Sat, 03/26/2022 - 12:52pm
Dr. John Goldhardt recently rejected the proposed contract by the Carson City School Board for the position of superintendent.
Contract negotiations fell through after the board voted to send Dr. Goldhardt a contract they had originally proposed before he asked for additional pay and benefits.
He sent the following to the board regarding his rejection of the position:
Trustees,
It saddens me to respectfully reject your contract, end the negotiation process, and allow you to appoint your internal candidate as your superintendent. I was looking forward to working in this district and living in this community. I extend my congratulations to Superintendent Stokes for a stellar career and for his leadership. My reasons for my decision are the following:
• Multi-year contracts for superintendents are the norm throughout the country. I applied for this position for the long-haul and there was concern expressed by Trustees about how long I would stay. After a 4-3 vote to hire me, a one-year contract does not show good faith by the Trustees in having me stay long term. In addition, the original contract I received (see attached) even had an entire paragraph about me finding and training a successor by the end of the first year. This caused me great concern.
Using a car analogy, a one-year contract feels very much like I'm being taken on a “test drive" instead of a long-term lease or purchase.
• I never agreed to a one-year contract in discussions with President Varner. I expressed great concern and requested a written contract so I could make a response.
I could accept $170,000, no moving expenses, as well as none of the other red-lined proposals, but a one-year contract with the caveat repeated multiple times by two Trustees that I am not "student-centered” and “selfish” is a deal breaker.
However, a more significant reason was based on what I observed watching the live Board meeting on March 22nd. It became very apparent that the Trustees are still deeply divided on my hire and cannot move past it.
I can live with some division. However, I cannot live with undermining, defamation, slander, and subversion.
The tone of Vice President Crossman was accusatory, demeaning, and slanderous in sharing multiple false statements about me. Having the Vice President of the Board (and probable next President) undermining the vote of hiring me by the Board during contract discussions and encouraging the Board to reconsider their decision causes deeper division and a culture of distrust. This is a lethal combination for effective Board-Superintendent relations. In addition, the relative silence of other Trustees of this disparaging behavior equates acceptance. I would expect someone who is a trained attorney to know better to not spread hearsay and publicly slander my personal and professional reputation.
Trustee Walker also made false accusations in that I supported Critical Race Theory and that because I made a counteroffer, I set a negative tone with the Board and all Carson City School District employees. Like Trustee Crossman this adds division, distrust, and is slanderous.
It saddens me that it has come to this and based upon the reasons listed above and especially the tone and tenor of the meeting on the 22nd, this respectful rejection will be for the best for both parties.
I wish the Trustees, students, parents, community members, employees, and Mr. Fueling nothing but the best.
Sincerely,
Johnsohlamat
John Goldhardt, Ed.D.
