Oyster River School Board chair resigns citing lack of confidence in direction panel is going
DURHAM — The chair of the Oyster River School Board resigned from the board Thursday, citing a lack of confidence in the direction the board is going.
Kimberly Clark, an at-large board member from Durham, submitted a candid letter of resignation to the board on Dec. 10.
“At this point it has been made clear to me that I do not have the trust of (Superintendent) Howard (Colter) or senior members of this Board,” Clark’s letter said. “I have painfully come to a similar conclusion, and realized I too, do not have confidence in the direction they are leading us. It is clear that without mutual respect and trust I will not be able to effectively lead this Board over the remaining three months of my term.”
In her letter, Clark said since she became board chair in March she has experienced increased frustration regarding the lack of progress toward open communication among the board and said it appears many board members seem to value process and policy at the expense of progress.
An example Clark gave in her letter was a past meeting where board member Mark Townsend indicated that a board member called him at home regarding the approval of names to the strategic working group volunteer list.
At a meeting earlier this month, board member David Taylor then called those actions a “violation of right to know law” and requested the issues be discussed at a future meeting.