To the Editor:

The following information about Massachusetts was received from a retired Massachusetts teacher who was also the President of a Massachusetts Teachers’ Union while Mr. Hunt worked in Massachusetts. Seven towns! That is how many towns Jim Hunt worked in during his administrative career in Massachusetts. Acton, Westford Academy, Groton, Franklin, Ayer, Needham, Framingham, some of these towns were wise enough to remove Jim Hunt within one, two or three years. Groton, MA was the wisest. He only had one year there. While in Franklin, Jim Hunt wrote 12 poor evaluations for 12 different teachers in one year! One of those teachers just happened to be the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year the year before! All 12 teachers grieved and won! Jim Hunt’s work was removed from their files. The poor taxpayers of that town did not get anything for their hard-earned money. Can we trust that Jim Hunt knows what “good teaching” looks like?

I have more horror stories of Mr. Hunt’s employment in Massachusetts but will save them for future editorials.

So how does that affect Goffstown? Upon his arrival in Goffstown, our veteran administrators at MVMS promptly started looking for and received jobs in other districts. Hired in their place were new administrators with no experience. Well, the Goffstown School Board has seen the kind of evaluations Nicole Doherty has produced. She was trained and mentored by Jim Hunt. He spent countless hours in her office. The work product is appallingly poor. I have copies if anyone would like to read them. This is the best Mr. Hunt’s instructional-leadership gets? What is a principal for if not for instructional-leadership? 

Well, Mr. Hunt’s contract is up for renewal in Goffstown. According to State Statute, after three years, a principal must be given a list of “Unsatisfactory Performance” and be allowed to have a hearing before the school board. He serves at the will of the district. If the GSB gives him a list and a hearing, he can be removed. There is no union that gives principals protection. He can not sue the district. 

Because I have sat in meetings with both Stacy Buckley and Jim Hunt present, I am assuming Stacy Buckley has not performed due diligence and documented his poor job performance because she supported him. Therefore, a quantifiable list of “Unsatisfactory Performance” must be put together by teachers, parents, and students. If you have had the displeasure of dealing with Mr. Hunt during his five years in this district, please contact me at DDLDJC@comcast.net. I am compiling a quantifiable “Unsatisfactory Performance” List.

Donna Pinard
Goffstown