Why an Ellis Tech assistant principal will earn over $300K while on leave for gun incident
A former Harvard H. Ellis Technical School assistant principal, who allegedly brought a gun to school in June 2021, will collect over $300,000 from the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System for his unpaid leave stemming from the incident, if the leave continues throughout the 2023-24 school year.
Rolando Navarro, whose records in the felony case against him have been sealed by Danielson Superior Court until next July, is listed as an employee of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, but on paid leave for the 2023-2024 school year.
Ellen Solek, superintendent of the CT Technical Educational and Career System schools, said that she will wait for a final disposition on Navarro's court case before taking any employment action. She does not know if Navarro would return to a school setting.
Former Ellis Tech Principal Rafael Calixto, who was also involved with Navarro's incident, was on paid leave for the 2022-2023 school year. Calixto has been assigned to the Howell Cheney Technical High School in Manchester for the 2023-2024 school year, where he will serve as assistant principal.
Both Navarro and Calixto were placed on paid administrative leave in February 2022, weeks after the state Department of Children and Families, DCF, and the State Police announced an investigation into a report of a gun at the school.
How a gun was discovered on Ellis Tech's property
In June 2021, Navarro arranged for his vehicle to be serviced by the school's automotive shop, during which time a student and his shop teacher discovered a gun box in the vehicle's wheel well. According to police reports, after the weapon was reported, Navarro retrieved the gun box and left.
Navarro told police he wrapped the box in a seat cover and walked it outside to the vehicle of Assistant Principal Sarah Smith and placed the weapon in her trunk – without notifying her. At the end of the school day, Navarro retrieved the weapon box and left the school.
'A culture of fear': Ellis Tech teachers speak out as CT investigates handgun incident
Navarro told police he knew bringing a weapon on school property was prohibited and had mistakenly left the gun in his vehicle. He said he provided Calixto later that evening with a detailed email account of the incident and told police that the weapon, a registered .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol, and magazine were unloaded.
What is the timeline for the court to resolve the matter
The court records for Navarro's case are statutorily sealed until July 11, 2024. The CT state judicial case lookup website lists "Awaiting Disposition" as the current case status.
Navarro's attorney, Trent LaLima, who had indicated to The Bulletin in April that he expected the case to be resolved "soon," declined to discuss the specifics of Navarro's case, but did point out that Navarro was a first-time offender, and that similar cases have taken advantage of the state's accelerated rehabilitation program.
The Department of Children and Families and state police announced an investigation into a report of a gun at the school in February 2022. The initial investigation concluded with a finding of "no criminal aspect." A second investigation was ordered by the Windham County State’s Attorney’s Office, which believed Navarro’s actions were potentially criminal.
That second investigation resulted in Navarro's arrest in August 2022 on a felony count of possession of a weapon on school grounds. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in November 2023.
How much has been paid to Navarro and Calixto while they have been on leave?
Navarro, who has been on leave since February 2022, has been collecting his full salary and benefits including contractual raises. For the 2021-22 school year, he earned $137,646.87 and for the 2022-23 school year, he received $146,572.40.
Navarro's projected income for the 2023-24 school year is $150.814.00
Calixto, who was placed on leave in February 2022 with Navarro, will return to work for the 2023-24 school year. In 2021-22, his earnings were $162,312.67 and in 2022-23, he earned $164,212.63. Calixto is projected to earn $164,844.00 this year.
John Penney contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Ellis Tech assistant principal still on paid leave: Will he return?
