Now that Jahmal Mosley has revealed his intent to leave the Nashua School District, and has been publicly offered a position in South Hadley, Massachusetts, it’s critically important that the Nashua Board of Education immediately take the following actions:

1. Formally notice Superintendent Mosley that his contract will not be renewed as required in his contract;

2. Convene a “committee of the whole” and begin a national search for a new superintendent;

3. Task district leadership to assess and plan for a Reduction In Force. This is due to the loss of 860 students since last year. I estimate that a staff reduction of 43 teachers (860/ 20 students per class) plus associated support staff can be made in the district. This can likely be accomplished without any layoffs as we typically have around 30 retirements per year as well as a normal turnover of nearly 100 teachers. If there are potential reductions the teachers’ contract requires staff notification in March or April of next year;

4. Reevaluate all middle school construction projects given the significant loss of enrollment. Consider this: the District just lost in one year, the equivalent of more than the total enrollment of a single middle school. Also consider that each high school has a capacity of about 2,400 students yet 12 months ago, each high school only had an enrollment about 1,800.

It’s irresponsible for Mosley to blame the school board for his problems of leadership. He did the same thing with the previous board on which I served. In reality, when our board hired Mosley he claimed he was going to bring the district together and contribute as a peacemaker. That lasted for about four months.

In reality, his tenure has resulted in school board infighting, a reduction of enrollment, and a strategic plan that never included any demographic or enrollment data nor a badly needed technology plan. His tenure has also resulted in a collapse of academic achievement. All of this occurred before Covid-19.

What Jahmal Mosley has never understood in his tenure at the Nashua School District is that he works for the board and that his recommendations, decisions and actions are subject to board review and approval as well as public input and transparency. District governance is the scope of elected school board members. Mosley’s insistence that he runs the show is likely the reason he has lost board support.

Howard Coffman is a former member of the Nashua Board of Education. He was on the board when Jahmal Mosley was hired and voted for him at that time. Prior to his departure from the board, Mr. Coffman had publicly apologized for hiring Jahmal Mosley.

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