Brockton superintendent unretires, is put on leave at fiery school committee meeting

At a wild meeting Tuesday night to discuss high school violence in Brockton, Massachusetts, chaos in the district's leadership was on full display.

Superintendent Michael Thomas went out on medical leave a short time before last summer's announcement of a $14 million budget shortfall at Brockton Public Schools. According to NBC affiliate WJAR, he had planned to retire next month.

At Tuesday's emergency school committee meeting, as community members discussed what's next for Brockton High School after Gov. Maura Healey quashed a proposal to bring in the National Guard to curb student violence, Thomas said he was rescinding his retirement notice.

Police, parents, teachers and others debated what must be done to keep students safe at Brockton High School.

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"If Mike Thomas was here, this stuff at the high school, you know, would not be happening," Thomas said.

The Brockton School Committee did not accept Thomas' move to return, voting at the same meeting to place him on paid administrative leave.

After some Brockton School Committee members requested that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey send in the National Guard to help address a spate of violence at the high school, she came down on the site of the city's mayor. Where does that leave Brockton?

Mayor Robert Sullivan announced on Aug. 31, 2023, that Brockton Public Schools' budget was short $14 million for the fiscal year.

In an interview with NBC10 Boston days after the deficit came to light, Thomas said it was "Nothing criminal, nothing inappropriate."

"It's just, you know, things go quickly in a school district," he said in September. "Staffing. Extra staff. We had safety and security concerns. We had transportation costs for a lot of different reasons. So there's a lot of different things that went into it."

After an interim superintendent was announced at an emergency meeting Friday, Brockton's superintendent, who is on extended medical leave, talked about the massive shortfall.

At one point Tuesday, Sullivan shouted that he didn't have prior knowledge of the shortfall.

"I was not made aware of a Fiscal '23 deficit until the date of Aug. 8, and that's a fact," the mayor yelled.

Like Healey, Sullivan objected to the idea of a National Guard presence at Brockton High School, proposed by four school committee members.

"I do oppose it, I don't think it's the right endeavor, but what I didn't oppose is sending it to the governor," he said Monday. "Out of respect for the elected officials, just like I am, I sent it up there."

Parents, teachers and other community members shared their thoughts on making the school safe at Tuesday's meeting.

"In looking at the school safety issues, I found the school district's most current security plan is approximately 10 years old," Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez said.

She highlighted ways to bolster security, including tightening classroom security, controlling access to the school and training personnel.

Some teachers say that's not enough.

"This is the first year I've ever thought that I could be hurt," said math teacher Julie Fairfield. "You have that few who are really bad, and they're so bad."