For Landon, a Letter of ‘Integrity’

By James Lomuscio

For Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon it’s a matter—and a letter—of integrity. 

Elliott Landon: has attorney’s letter for tonight’s meeting. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

And at tonight’s Board of Education he will be tooled up with school counsel’s written opinion to the board that the February break does not violate the state’s Uniform School Calendar policy.

According to Landon, the opinion by Thomas B. Mooney and Jessica Richman Smith of the firm Shipman & Goodwin vindicates him from board members “questioning my integrity” at the March 28 when Landon said he had checked and cleared the February break with the school system’s legal counsel.

Landon, who is retiring in June, bemoaned the day after the meeting that some board members questioned his integrity “for the first time in 17 years”  when he told them had direct confirmation. (See WestportNow March 29, 2016)

“I said to myself after 17 years with no one questioning my integrity, you guys are doing it when I’m leaving,” Landon said following the March 29 meeting. “It’s the king is dead, long live the king.”

The state policy stipulates only three vacations throughout the year, not four. Landon, conferring with Mooney, said that four weeks, specifically the February break, passes muster under the law since four flex days could be added to the Presidents Day holiday.

Despite the board voting 4 to 0 with 2 abstentions vote in favor of Landon’s request for a February break, Landon found it a Pyrrhic victory since two Board of Education members —Elaine Whitney and Karen Kleine—abstained, wanting confirmation from Mooney himself.

Even Michael Gordon, school board chairman who voted with the majority to approve Landon’s request, said he was uncomfortable.

On March 30, Grodon issued the following statement: “The new legislation has created a great deal of confusion for local districts on how they can use flex days to customize their calendars. The board was doing its due diligence to understand the legal nuances before it voted.”

Still, Landon doesn’t understand why the board did not take him at his word, and tonight he wants the letter to set the record straight.

“Recently you requested advice whether for four separate breaks in the Westport Public Schools district calendars for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 comply with applicable law and guidelines,” reads the attorney’s letter dated April 6 to the Board of Education.

“Specifically, you have asked whether the board effectively may create a week-long vacation in February by using its ‘flexible days’ to extend the february break on the C.E.S. (Cooperative Educational Services) regional Uniform School Calendar to create a fourth break of at least one week on the calendar.

“We reviewed this issue in response to Dr. Landon’s request for advice on March 23, and in a telephone conference on March 28 we shared with Dr. Landon our view that the board may appropriately use its flexible days to extend the uniform regional February break, so that it is now a full week.”