What we know about Utica acting superintendent's sudden resignation

Utica Acting Superintendent Brian Nolan resigned without warning Tuesday.

After voting unanimously at a meeting Tuesday night to accept Nolan’s resignation, the school board voted 6-0 (with board member Donald Dawes abstaining) to hire Chief Academic Officer Steven Falchi as acting superintendent. Falchi, who will continue in his regular administrative role as well, will receive a daily $355 stipend on top of his normal salary and benefits.

Bruce Karam still holds the title of district superintendent, but he has not worked since the board placed him on paid administrative leave and hired Nolan on Oct. 18 pending the outcome of a third-party investigation into employee complaints against Karam.

The school board released a statement on Thursday saying Nolan had resigned for personal reasons.

Nolan said "everything is fine," with him and his family.

When asked by text about the timing of his resignation and whether he would return to his former job as a state monitor for a public school in Syracuse, Nolan simply replied, “At this point, I’m enjoying being able to spend more time with my two grandsons.”

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Both board President Joseph Hobika Jr. and Falchi tried to reassure staff and families that Falchi will continue Nolan’s legacy with the district. Falchi spent seven months working with Nolan, Hobika pointed out.

“We are very confident that he will continue the efforts that Mr. Nolan made to maintain a very positive academic atmosphere in the district,” he said, “and will allow us to have stability during this period of time.”

His primary focus, Falchi said, will be on maintaining stability for the rest of the school year.

“(Nolan) had a leadership style that empowered and supported the teachers and the administrators and from that, we’ve had excellent results,” he continued. “And I will continue that. That's extremely important to all of us, to continue the momentum that we’ve seen over the last seven or eight months.”

What Nolan had to say about resignation

Nolan, who did not attend the meeting, later congratulated Falchi in his appointment. “Steve is a tremendous asset to the district,” he said, “and it’s nice he’s being recognized for his dedication.”

Asked if he had any messages he wanted to give district residents, Nolan texted statements of gratitude, encouragement and cautions for the future.

“I’d like to thank everyone for supporting the school budget; it will provide important staffing and programs for students and families," he said.

Nolan also said while he served a short time, he believed much was accomplished, "from changing the culture of the district to creating a strategic focus on students, all while updating processes and procedures. The district is definitely in a great place and will come through this difficult time better prepared to carry on its important mission.”

Nolan thanked the school board and said he hoped its reorganization plan would allow for a supportive role "addressing policies and oversight, not politics and meddling."

After a few weeks on the job, Nolan had said he would consider applying were the job of permanent superintendent to open up. He was, he said at the time, intrigued at the thought of having more time to implement some of his ideas.

“The potential here,” he said, “makes it very attractive for someone to make the decision of staying a little longer.”

Utica school board surprised by acting superintendent's departure

Before the board voted to accept Nolan’s resignation, member Donald Dawes expressed his surprise, commenting that he’d seen Nolan a few days earlier and there had been no hint of any problems or signs that he was about to leave until, Dawes said, board members received a text on Tuesday.

“Did he give us a real solid reason why he left?” Dawes asked.

“No,” Hobika answered.

“So he just walked off?”

“You know, Brian was hired to be here for about two weeks and he stayed about seven months and he chose today to be his last day," Hobika responded. “And I want to thank him for his efforts and all that he’s done for the district during some turbulent times.”

In its statement on Thursday, the school board expressed its gratitude for Nolan’s service and his “exemplary” support for students, families and staff.

“The connections that Mr. Nolan developed with children, families and employees during his time in the district,” the statement read, "will remain a cornerstone going forward.”

Since Karam was placed on paid leave, he has sued the district, the school board, Nolan and four school board members in both state and federal court, although the state case has been dismissed, alleging improprieties in school board conduct and a conspiracy by a school board majority to get rid of him.

Investigator Mark Pettit investigated complaints filed by two district administrators claiming Karam created a hostile work environment. His findings, included in a January report, show that Karam used demeaning, vulgar and homophobic language when speaking to district employees and that some of his actions rose to the level of bullying.

The school board accepted the report, rejecting an appeal by Karam who retains the right to defend himself should the board bring formal charges against him.

“The district has very competent and capable staff who should be allowed to carry out their duties and responsibilities," Nolan said. "It’s a good time to end ‘It’s the way we do things in Utica’ and operate as a well-run school district.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica's acting superintendent Brian Nolan has resigned: What we know