Dr. Uyi Osunde Agrees to Meeting with Stratford Board of Education
Stratford Board of Education lawyers continue to fight a federal civil rights lawsuit Osunde filed against the GOP members of the board in April that claims his suspension is due to racial discrimination.
The attorneys defending the board sought to bar Osunde’s lawyers from speaking to former board members as part of the suit, including some who have publicly defended the embattled schools chief.
But a judge denied that request this week in a ruling asserting that Osunde’s lawyers have the right to talk to past board members outside of a deposition as long as they do not induce or receive any privileged communications from the members that was shared by the board’s current attorneys.
The judge has given both sides until early next year to complete the discovery phase of the legal battle, which is expected to take years to resolve.
The town has hired an army of attorneys with the firm of Berchem Moses PC to defend the members of the board. They are:
Attorney Raymond J. Rigat on behalf of Kristen Bedell, Michael Henrick, Sean Kennedy, William O’Brien, Stratford Board of Education.
Attorney Richard J. Buturla on behalf of Kristen Bedell, Michael Henrick, Sean Kennedy, William O’Brien, Stratford Board of Education
Attorney Ryan P. Driscoll on behalf of Kristen Bedell, Michael Henrick, Sean Kennedy, William O’Brien, Stratford Board of Education
Superintendent Uyi Osunde has asked to meet with the town school board as the divided panel weighs firing the suspended schools chief, a date and time not yet announced. According to the language included in Osunde’s employment agreement, the board must offer the superintendent a chance to appear before them during a hearing before it can formally terminate the contract.
After receiving the notice, Osunde has 15 days to decide if he wants to attend the hearing. The contract also gives him the sole authority to decide if the hearing will be held in public or behind closed doors in executive session. Once the hearing is concluded, the board will then have another 15 days to render a decision, which must be based on evidence presented at the hearing. An attorney for Osunde did not immediately return a request for comment.
The hearing is supposed to be held within 30 days of the request. Henrick, however, said attorneys for Osunde and the board are now working to resolve a legal issue before the meeting can take place.
“We had hoped this process would move along more quickly,” said Henrick, who declined to elaborate. “But we just want to make sure it is done correctly and that everybody’s rights are protected.”
Todd Steigman, Osunde’s lawyer, declined to comment on the matter.
The lawyers who investigated Osunde finished their work earlier this month and delivered a lengthy report to board members detailing their findings, though the board has declined to release a copy of the document for the public to review.
The board Democrats — Lisa Carroll-Fabian, Christopher Cormier and Jill D’Angelo-Powers — said in a joint statement that they believe none of the claims included in the investigative report show “any detriment to our students under Dr. Osunde’s leadership.” They called for the report to be released in full.
“Everyone deserves to see how this bogus investigation manipulates information to contrive a narrative,” the board members said. “The board chair selectively shares only parts that support his narrative. Taxpayers paid for this report and have a right to see it.”
The lawyers who investigated Superintendent Uyi Osunde allegedly found evidence he took out-of-state trips without authorization, frequently arrived late to work and delegated many of his job duties to subordinates, among other lapses, according to a summary of their findings.
“These added duties overburdened already busy individuals, causing stress and frustration on their part, risking burnout, and taking away from their other duties,” Henrick wrote. “While assigning duties to your staff is generally within your rights, given your excessive travel, lateness/leaving early, your actions in shifting your responsibilities to your cabinet were not reasonable, and a shirking of your own responsibilities.”
In a statement shared earlier this month, Osunde called the investigation a sham, claiming it was designed to destroy his reputation and give the board an excuse to terminate his contract. He pointed to improved test scores and other achievements that he suggested refute Henrick’s allegations.
In a statement issued through his attorney, Todd Steigman, Osunde denied committing any wrongdoing and pointed to improved test scores and other achievements during his tenure. He called the investigation a sham, claiming it was designed to destroy his reputation and give the board an excuse to terminate his contract.
“I led the Stratford Public Schools, one of the top 20 largest school systems in Connecticut, through the most volatile peaks in the pandemic,” said Osunde, who was appointed superintendent in 2021. “Under my leadership, Stratford Public Schools has experienced improved outcomes on the SAT, Advanced Placement test and other metrics … It would be impossible for us to achieve these results and outcomes if the allegations that I was ineffective, inefficient, insubordinate and dishonest, etc. were even remotely true.”
“It is clear that I am being singled out and subjected to a level of scrutiny unlike any other previous Stratford Superintendent,” Osunde said. “The discriminatory and retaliatory nature of this process is palpable, and the adverse impact is real.”
Inquiring Minds Want To Know::
The investigation into Dr. Osunde was led by Attorney Floyd J. Dugas, Senior Partner with Berchem Moses PC, who heads up the firm’s Municipal Labor & Employment practice. He represents towns, cities and boards of education throughout Connecticut, often as General Counsel. Mr. Dugas is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Education Law departments. He represents both private and public sector employers.
What is Attorney Dugas’ Background in Investigations? Has he worked with law enforcement?
According to his bio Attorney Dugas has not had any training in law enforcement nor training in conducting investigations outside of within the bar.
He has successfully defended the West Haven Board of Education against the first ever claim in this state for education malpractice. He also was among the first attorneys in recent years to secure wage freezes, step freezes and major insurance plan redesigns in interest arbitration on behalf of school districts we represent. He has appeared before the State Supreme Court on other municipal labor matters. He has represented employers in literally hundreds of arbitrations and in wrongful discharge and discrimination litigation.
For his complete biography go to:
I don’t know Dr.Osunde very well. However, I do have 43 years of experience training teachers and persons who are interested in achieving administrative positions in public education as a Professor of Psychology at a SUNY campus. I have some experience in my own training with the roles of Svhool administrators.
I have also witnessed a similar pattern of racial discrimination toward a Superintendant of public schools in a Ct. District that was serving a very high proportion of Caucasian students and parents with so few students of color or even of no majority religions. It was ugly and smacked of almost Jim Crow values from a school board that was Caucasian and with the same type of Republican against and Democrat supporting a newly hired, dynamic, intelligent man whose skin was brown not white. This, for me, given the particular political identifiers of the for and against Dr. Osunde smacks of the same pattern of (conscious or nonconcious) inability of GOP driven distrust and distaste of leadership that comeswrapped in a darker skin wrapping. As with the Superintendent in the other basically 98% caucasian
Community, in the talk he presented to seniors demonstrating interest in volunteering to support immigrant and low scoring students in Syratford Schools, Dr. Osunde presented as a worldly, dynamic, highly skilled educational specialist as he presented student composition and performance in the schools under his supervision. The split between the GOP members of the Board and the Democratic members is nothing if not predictable. The thing about prejudice and discrimination is that the folks harboring it often convince themselves they aren’t racist,they just have higher standards. Scientific study after study on Anglo-American racism demonstrates over and over that white people who tend to support authoritarian techniques and rather blatant racism either believe they aren’t or know they are and consider it a benefit to community preservation of their privilege. Looking at the lawyers representing the GzoP BOE members, it’s not the educational workers they serve but rather management seeking to reduce benefits to the very people who help students become good citizens,
This is but another classic case of typical republican retribution towards prominent folks of color. I would think that the residents of Stratford would have had their fill of the wasting of tax dollars the past twenty-plus years under republican rule. Apparently not. This town has a long history of segregation, that has never been fully addressed. Just look at the personnel staffed at Town Hall. It never reflected the demographics of Stratford, even to this day. I’m not surprised at this folly committed towards Dr. Osunde. He now understands what we in the South End knew for generations. Thank you for your service, sir. How much money is this costing us tax payers so far? How much more racist episodes is our town willing to accept. It past time for a change at Town Hall.