WESTHAMPTON — During an emotional virtual meeting Thursday night, the leading candidate for an assistant superintendent job at Hampshire Regional School District apologized for controversial Facebook posts about transgender athletes that emerged when she was a superintendent finalist in nearby Easthampton in April.

The apologies from Erica Faginski-Stark, however, were not enough to convince the district’s joint school committees to go along with Superintendent Diana Bonneville’s pick for assistant superintendent. The decision to reject her candidacy was nearly unanimous.

“I know this has been a difficult evening for everybody,” Bonneville said at the virtual meeting attended by some 150 people. “It has shown me how supportive our community is and that we really are here for the students and that it’s not enough to say it, we have to show with our actions, more than our words, that we mean it and that we are here for our students.”

More than 25 people make up the committees, which include the Anne T. Dunphy School in Williamsburg, New Hingham Regional Elementary School in Chesterfield, Westhampton Elementary School, William E. Norris School in Southampton, and Hampshire Regional Middle and High School in Westhampton. Don Willard, chairperson of the New Hingham committee, and Paul Marcinek, the Goshen representative on the Hampshire Regional Middle and High School Committee, both abstained from the vote.

The decision comes in the wake of a small student-led protest over Faginski-Stark’s candidacy outside of Bonneville’s office Wednesday, as well as an online petition that garnered 270 signatures urging the joint school committees and Bonneville to reconsider the assistant superintendent candidate.

Faginski-Stark, the second candidate offered the job as superintendent of Easthampton Public Schools this spring, withdrew her candidacy days later after students there raised concerns about the Ludlow educator. Students flagged Faginski-Stark’s Facebook account, which has since been taken down, which contained posts from 2021 that they described as “conservative transphobic rhetoric.” The posts contain comments that question trans athletes competing in female sports.

Close to 20 people voiced opposition to Faginski-Stark’s candidacy during public comment Thursday, including students, parents and teachers.

Among those who spoke was Westhampton resident Andrew Coate, who urged the committees to consider all students in hiring decisions.

“My family bought a house in Westhampton in 2021 and my partner and I live here with our three young children. I am a dad and I’m a transgender man,” Coate said. “It is important to me that all students in our schools are supported regardless of their gender identity.”

Mary Ellen Woods, a special education teacher and speech pathologist in the Williamsburg school district, as well as the union president, said she had staff members in her office with tears over the potential hiring of Faginski-Stark.

“I have been unable to assure them that the HRHS community will remain a safe and welcoming place. There’s already damage to the emotional safety in our community,” said Woods, choking back tears as she spoke.

Jessica McKinnon, the mother of a Westhampton student, detailed how she had faced “horrendous” treatment in northern Virginia after she transitioned, and moved to the Valley because it was known to be safe and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Everybody deserves the freedom to be themselves. We don’t need ... random people telling other people who can and cannot be part of this society. But we can tell people who treat other people like dirt that they don’t deserve to be in a leadership position in our community,” McKinnon said. “I respectfully urge you to vote ‘hell no’ on this hire.”

Bonneville makes case

The new position for assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment was posted May 2 and closed May 22, with a salary range of $104,000 to $120,000. Bonneville explained that though it wasn’t a “necessary step,” she formed a search committee that included School Committee members, central office administrators, principals, teachers and a pre-K representative.

Of the 32 applications received, Bonneville said that the principals selected six people to be interviewed, which was narrowed down to four candidates.

“Ultimately, at the very end of our conversation, the search committee did agree that all four would do a fine job,” Bonneville said. “And Erica and another person were actually tied for first place, but a concern about her answer to the diversity question was raised. … At the end, we were all in agreement that we would be OK with anybody that was chosen.”

Bonneville said she chose Faginski-Stark because she would best fulfill the district’s needs, citing her Boston College doctorate and her longevity as the director of curriculum and instruction at Ludlow Public Schools.

Bonneville also noted that while she worked with Faginski-Stark in South Hadley about a decade ago when Bonneville was the high school principal and Faginski-Stark was the middle school principal, their interaction was limited to being colleagues.

“She interviewed very strongly … all of her Ludlow references think she’s absolutely amazing, and I truly believe she is the strongest candidate,” Bonneville said.

Tom Cleary, vice chairperson of the Hampshire Regional Middle and High School Committee, questioned Bonneville as to why Faginski-Stark would be a good candidate for the district, “knowing that this candidate would be very controversial” in the community and after seeing what happened in Easthampton.

Bonneville said she was impressed with Faginski-Stark’s reference checks and interviews.

“I recognize that she made a poor decision, but I also think we’ve all made poor decisions, and it’s unfortunate that hers is so public, but I think we’re also a forgiving community,” she said. “I think we’re tolerant of when students make mistakes and we should be the same when adults make mistakes. … I realized that this would be a difficult conversation, but I really felt strongly that although she made a mistake, she deserves another chance.”

Responding to controversy

After introducing Faginski-Stark to committee members, Bonneville asked a series of questions that directly addressed the 2021 Facebook posts.

Faginski-Stark, a former Division 1 track athlete throwing discus, hammer and shot put for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said her intent behind the posts was to raise awareness around women’s athletics and equity on the playing field for women, transgender and cisgender.

“I recognize that my posts do not characterize what my intentions were. I recognize that the posts are perceived to be and are insensitive to trans athletes and trans people. And that was definitely not my intention,” she said.

Faginski-Stark said she didn’t rebuke the accusations of “transphobic rhetoric” in April because it appeared as though Easthampton School Committee members were split around who they wanted as a candidate. She said that with so much taking place in the news media with the first candidate, Vito Perrone, she felt like if she continued she would create an “undesirable” situation for Easthampton.

“Feeling a lot of unease, I guess you could say, of the entire process that was taking place for the other candidate, I chose to step back and withdraw my wish to be a candidate,” she said. “And I was truthfully in fear that, how do I speak out? I was not sure of what to do. And so I chose to be silent.”

Heather Crocker-Aulenback, a member of the New Hingham Regional School Committee, asked Faginski-Stark whether she would consider a candidate who had controversial Facebook posts and inquired how that would change the community’s perception when community members have expressed feelings of alienation, lack of safety and fear.

Faginski-Stark said that she would, knowing that the candidate went through a thorough vetting process.

“While I recognize that it is hurtful, and I should have made a better judgment around my expressions around athletics and equity, it would be important to know that the person is a human being,” she said. “People make mistakes, and if we are truly talking about a diverse, equitable and inclusive community, we recognize when people falter. We recognize their sincerity, or lack thereof. And if we believe that there’s sincerity and truth that they are not transphobic or named something else that may be offensive to a community and hiring an administrator, then yes, I would consider someone like myself.”

At one point, there was a tense back and forth between Ryan Schiff, vice chairperson of the Williamsburg School Committee, and Faginski-Stark. Schiff asked Faginski-Stark to detail what she regretted and what she was apologizing for with regard to the Facebook posts. Faginski-Stark said that she regretted not taking a closer look at the associated links attached to the Facebook posts and that she did not “see the other perspective,” as she did not intend to hurt anyone or make anyone feel inferior.

In one of the posts, she advocates signing a petition defending Title IX and questions why there has been such a lack of advocacy on behalf of equality for women and women’s sports. Though the website is no longer active, the link states that “only girls should play girls’ sports.”

Schiff then displayed one of the Facebook posts. He likened the caricature in the post, which shows an exaggerated transgender person with over-exaggerated leg hair, arm hair and a mustache, to that of a racist or antisemitic character.

“(The image) it’s deeply offensive to anybody who that would depict. It’s not only just a transgender person, but it’s depicting a transgender high school athlete, and you’re applying to be an assistant superintendent overseeing high school,” he said. “You came here tonight, you said that what you regret is that you didn’t find a better source. You saw that picture. You didn’t need to look at the source to see that picture. And you posted it. Do you regret that?”

Faginski-Stark responded simply, “Yes, I do.”

Nearly 3½ hours into the meeting, committee members discussed their vote and one by one, the majority spoke about how they didn’t feel comfortable with Faginski-Stark becoming the assistant superintendent.

Willard, one of the two members who abstained, said he was conflicted having heard from both sides of the community. He said that if Faginski-Stark were chosen, he would recommend some inclusivity and diversity training.

“I’ve heard words tonight in this meeting of inclusivity, empathy, compassion, kindness, acceptance and tolerance, and we’re talking about Facebook posts that somebody has apologized for. I struggle. I really have a struggle, not giving those same characteristics to this, this one person,” he said.

The committees are scheduled to meet again virtually Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>