Slick and slimy move. I guess ethics was off the table at the Harris household. He'll have time to discuss during his evenings at home.

I'm confused...if the resignation was submitted in time, couldn't the vacant seat have been placed on the local ballot? How is that costly when there is already an election? I don't understand this at all. I feel like I've been robbed of a vote. Am I misinterpreting this?

More time with the family? A "full two year term???" [Full School committee terms are Four years]. Really, it certainly looks like Harris sees the writing on the wall - he will no longer have a PCC majority on his side on the committee, so he's bugged out.

I think Mr. Harris realized he could no longer use his powers of manipulation to fulfill his own agenda. Good luck to all newly elected officials.
Just on a note: Will we now see a less PCC Klimm....

His business is expanding - now that he and the PCC Council have convinced everyone what dire straits the Portsmouth pension plan was in and now they're making changes so people will be investing - and he's a financial advisor, how convenient. I'm sure he'll be right there to help everyone invest and he'll be collecting all those fees. Meanwhile he convinced everyone that our Finance Director had a conflict of interest being on the Town's pension board because he was going to collect a pension? How's that, because he wanted it to succeed? Who had a conflict of interest folks, really? I hope all of those town workers see through him and stay far away.

Good ridence to bad rubbish!!!! We don't need jerks like him having anything to do with our Town Government. He lost all his backers in the School Committee and Town Councils and didn't want to have to eat crow. He doesn't not have an ethical bone in his body.

I met riddance not "ridence" but I think everyone gets the picture!

When the whole custodian fiasco was going on I said that Mr. Harris was a my-way or the high-way guy. It is quite obvious that he doesn't like the game anymore (after the election changes) and is taking his ball and going home. GOOD! He was in the game for selfish reasons anyway. If he knew he was leaving after two years he should have resigned long ago so there could have been an election...I am very suspicious that the Council will try to appt. someone to the vacancy before the current members leave office. They better not. The voters have spoken. The voters don't want Rattey or Daley. I am just very skeptical of all of this.

Just disgraceful. People have always questioned whether he really gave a damn about the schools or just ran to get revenge on the administration for closing elmhurst school and I think this answers the question. His "explanations" don't make any sense. Along with Perrotti, King and Volpicelli he caused a lot of hate and discontent and cost us Superintendent Lusi, her assistant, a Finance Director, Vice Principal Goss and other valuable employees and now that he would have to serve with people like Copeland, Cortvriend, Wojichowski and Kelly who would dare to question him and make him justify his positions with rational arguments instead of relying on bullying tactics and sneaky maneuvers, he quits. The election was not a factor? Please. He really does think we are all just stupid doesn't he? Like most bullies, when confronted, he turns and runs. The bully has left the schoolyard. Thank you Ms. Copeland, Ms. Cotvriend, Mr. Wojichowski and Mr. Kelly.

Please remember that one person did stand up for the residents and will still be standing with the new majority. Mr. Croston stood firm for his and our principals and deserves a great deal of thanks.

Mr. Harris states, "easy transition of another candidate to be appointed rather than be elected." I'm sorry we live in a democracy Mr. Harris. Are you that arrogant and think us that dumb?!!! Does the lame-duck Council really believe we are that dumb?!!! TRY US!

I have a memory of many posts over the last two years praising the honesty, integrity, and good-will of the PCC School Committee members who were saving the town. A penny for your thoughts.

This is how we separate the men from the boys, looks like Jonathan Harris is a boy. I can only deduce that he got his integrity or should I say lack thereof from Mitt and of course his fellow PCC members. Than God they are all gone !

The PCC has been ousted, Mr Harris has done everyone a favor by resigning and now all that is left to do is fire the tyrant Klimm!

It sure sounds like union people that are real sour on this site. This one guy negotiates with your union machine and gets the better deal for the town instead of you getting fat raises and big pensions and you call him all kinds of names. A friend of his told me that he was just hired by a big law firm to help negotiate union contracts for other towns and the state.

Gail yes you are dumb

Roger this isn't about unions its about what this last Committee left Portsmouth. We have terrible moral, our quality administrators are fleeing, scores are down, the new Superintendent is border-line, third finance director in a year, Would rather see their name in the law books no matter the cost to taxpayers... The surpluses have been at the expense of educating our kids - my kids! Do either of you have kids in the schools?

Carl, I wish you had better teachers so you could actually form an argument. Mr. Harris knows he can't control the next Committee and he jumped-ship. He left a legacy of distrust and a system in decline. This new Committee will have the unified leadership to return us to excellence.

A school committee without a backbone will once again cause the taxpayers of Portsmouth to drop more corn than necessary to provide a good sound education to the children of this town. As they do this, the rats will come as evidenced in the vile comments and personal attacks in the comment section of this story.

If that is true why did the test scores go up? I am thrilled with the new principal at Melville and I wasnt thrilled with a few principals that were shown the door. I think many of you were sold a big lie from the Democrats. I recall that when they were running things the schools were out of money and cuts were always made to something. My girls have not had anything cut in two years and I also watched the committee fix up the fourth grade experience. The new Super is wonderful, i think she is doing her job and getting rid of dead wood. She has hired hired good people.

Gail, I was taught by non union teachers in a right to work state. They taught me to state the obvious clearly. They also taught me not to argue with a skunk as I will just end smelling like them. My earlier comment says it clearly.

My grandchildren have not had any cuts since they have been in school. Over 9 years not just in the last two years. And many great administrators have left. So Carol I will agree to disagree with you. And the million dollar + surplus was not from the last two years, so please do not give the actions of the school committee for the last two years any credit for it.

@CarolMane, I believe it could be you that was sold many big lies by the republican run Town and School over the last two years.

You all need a nice long hug. So much hate. Maybe his wife and kids felt that hate as they walked down the street, went to the store or on the athletic field. Maybe he had enough. How many of you put your name on a ballot? Many say "no back bone" as they hide behind a pen name. The surplus was found the last two years, so Town resident get your facts right. The uninformed seem to be powerful on this sight. Last point, Jon has never been a member of the PCC. Get over the PCC they are dead in the water and we are all glad for that.

My kids lost their music and art for half a year two years ago in Melville school. What planet were you on Town Resident? The republicans put it back to 100%. If the surplus was always there, why did they have the special election to get more money? I think it is obvious here that most of you mean spirited commentators are union workers. Its disappointing that you work the town. I'm sad to see Mr Harris leave he helped our school budget through a tough time and he did what was best for the kids not the unions.

Well said, Carol. Putting the needs of children over the demands of unions is essential to the foundation of a well-run school system. These newly elected Democrats will try to do BOTH, which will only lead to the unsustainable deficits and yes- increased taxes.

The school cut we should be talking about is how the teachers are allowed to cut time out of the children's education in order for them to have workshops. I talk about the best paid part time job in America. Only in America can we take away valuable education time so that teachers can fit in a workshop during school hours. So when the above talks about taking away art and music, this is only one piece of the many pieces that are being stripped away.

East side and Town resident,
I didn't run and haven't been on the TC for two years. One reason I didn't run is because of the hate that is displayed on this sight. So..... not to vote for me must have been easy East side. Scrutiny Mr. resident is one thing hate in another. Hate behind a pen name....well that says it all. You have to take the partisan politics out of the local level. Jon was great with numbers that's how the money was found. Pave our roads, plow the snow, Fix the school buildings & work with in the tax cap, what does any of that have to do with Repubs or Dems. Yup nothing. It just gets in the way of getting things done. Instead of coming down on Jon who gave his time how about some suggestions on how to make this town even better.

No matter who the person, or what the agenda, the resignation was poorly timed. Barring personal illness, family illness or strife, personal death or family death, an elected official commits to a term and should finish that term. Commitment is a character quality when things are going well or not so well. It is sad that so many comments are made by people who can't be responsible for them by stating their names. Guess I am getting old but personally, right now I take "the good old boys"!

For all you folks that think the town is in better shape with the Democrats running it. I would suggest you all check out John McDaid's local blog. Not only did he report on the resignation of Jon Harris, he has the exact copy of the letter that was e-mailed confidentially to the members of the Portsmouth Town Council and the Portsmouth School Committee. If you all think for one minute that the Democrats are a honest group of individuals then how in the world did McDaid get a hold of this e-mail? Last I knew is isn't a Town Council member or a School Committee member. So let's all try to figure out which Democrat sent the private e-mail to a "reporter". Seveney, Buddemeyer, Croston????? God bless the people of Portsmouth.

Character is also defined by Courage and several other characteristics. I watched Mr. Harris stand up in front of over 100 disrespectful nasty union members all wearing the same shirts of Council 94 and with composure and true professional demeanor addressed their retirement benefits. That takes courage. I was so impressed with his character and composure even though the school employees were so awful to him. What a loss for our town to see him go. Rosemary you make a good point about using our names- I agree- but your suggestion of a character issue over his resignation is way off base. He has dealt with his share of mean spirited people in this town for a long time. We owe him out thanks.

Maybe King Robicheau's wife shared the news, oh yea forgot she is not a member of the TC either, right ?

East Side you have so much hate. I didn't call you any names like coward for using a pen name but...if the shoe fits. To call yourself good looking...well that's just weird and narcissistic. Try to put the mirror down and get a clue. Check your facts about this site, it was up when I was on the council. You must really hate facts. Oh by the way my wife said I am very cute even at my age..and she is only the opinion I care about on that subject.

Boy there is a lot of HATE in these coments and I presum it is coming from union members I would never want to be in a position of being intimated by a bunch of educated thugs demanding higher salaries and benifies under the pretense for the children. It does not take a rocket scienctist to determine their goals. I gues the only way is to satisfy their greedy demans is to raise taxs and making it difficult for senior citizens living only on social security. Many senios do not have benefits like the school teachers.

J. Lane McMahon there was no digging necessary, it is called reading. McDaid posted the copy of the confidential e-mail at 10:37am on 11/7. Patch did not report it until later in the day. So again I wonder which crooked Democrat supplied the e-mail to McDaid. When he was asked his response was "I will not divulge my source". Croston, Seveney, Buddemeyer??? Beware Portsmouth. If you think for a minute the Democrats are an honest group, think again.

One more thing. Maybe you should get your facts straight before commenting on something that you obviously don't understand.

Whatever your opinion of Mr. Harris, he deserves our thanks. What right minded, educated, person would subject themselves to this type of harrassment? Why would Mr. Harris give up his personal time with his wife and children, volunteer thousands of hours crunching the numbers in the budget, negotiate contracts, prepare presentations, stand up in front of people who verbally abuse and harrass him?? I guess he has nothing better to do! I can certainly understand why someone would want to run for office in this town! I also didn't know that the PCC had enough members to elect a town council and school committee by themselves. I guess they have more members than I thought. Could Mr. Harris have been elected by the majority of the town? Nah? If I saw my child texting comments such as these on this blog I would have a heart-to-heart with my child about what is so prevelent in our schools today, the topic of bullying. Now I know where the kids get it! Thank you Mr. Harris for your public service. May you enjoy your precious time with your family and friends!

Patriot, Jon is "rude and arrogant", do you know him on a personal level? Or you think tose things because you don't agree with his politics. He is not a member of the PCC or the Tea Party. Jon is great with numbers and proved the SC had and has the money to run a great school system. I would love to hear your ideas to make the schools better but for that to happen you might have to use your real name and put yourself out their...

East Side, you last raised the issue of training during school on Thursday November 8. At that time I wrote:

I don't know why I'm bothering to say this, since we had this discussion at the time of the original proposal to have late starts to accommodate the administration's needs to have all teachers participate together in certain training. I guess I still have hopes.
These sessions are not for personal professional advancement. It does not involve getting college credits, which they have to get on their own time and at their own expense in order to keep their state license. As I understand it, these sessions are often for things like teachers barnstorming with administrators about ways to meet new state requirements. When your business got new computers or other equipment, did they teach you to use it on the clock, or tell you all to come in after work off the clock? I don't know anything about your work experience, but for most of us, that kind of professional development would have been on the clock. By the way, teachers already have required unpaid time at the school for professional development.
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You didn't respond to my questions and now you repeat your outrage over training during school hours. Do you even know what today's sessions were about? Please tell me what it was about and then explain why you think that should be done without pay. Or should I assume your silence means you have no knowledge of any of this.

I assume you are saying that it doesn't matter to you what the topic of the training is, but that all such training should be without pay. Is that what you are saying in your first sentence? I have no idea what you are saying in your last two sentences. Can I assume you have no idea what the training was about today? Please answer that question; it's pretty straight-forward.

Out their (wow) it's out there ...lol

As I understand it, the training was designed to ensure that all teachers are on the same level when grading papers and tests, so that students graded by different teachers are treated equally. For example, all history teachers gather together and grade the same project and discuss their grading so they grade all students the same way. I assume you think that is a good goal. This training is not for the benefit of the teaches; individual teachers get nothing out of that for themselves. It doesn't make them a better person or more marketable in another job. Please tell me why they should have to do that at their employers' demand without pay, and please try to come up with something other than, "best paid part-time job in the country." Also, please tell us what kind of work you do/did? That might help us understand why you find this so objectionable and maybe someone here can point out similar paid training in positions similar to your's. By the way, the training lasted 1 hour; that's all the kids missed. Many parents in this town allow their kids to skip the day before the prom, or cut on senior bunk day, so this seems very minor. Also, have you asked the school department what the training is? I bet they would tell you. In fact, they probably have to tell you. I can't imagine it's intended to be a secret.

Teaching is a part time job:
I will assume that someone with a “full time job” works 5 days a week 50 weeks a year. That’s something like 250 8-hour days or 2,000 hours.
So we’ll say they are there from 7:30 to 4:00. They do grade homework, make tests, and write lesson plans. That constitutes somewhere around 3 hours a day somewhere around 150 days a year. They also have the PTA, Open House, etc. commitments somewhere around 8 times a year.

8.5 hours X 187 days = 1,589.5 hours
3 hours X 150 days = 450
4 hours X 8 days = 32 hours
TOTAL = 2,071.5 hours

So at the very minimum, teaching is comparable to any 40-hour per week job in the number of hours worked, it just happens to be crammed into 9 and a half months rather than the luxurious 12 month schedule that most employers utilize
Yea it's a part time job alright. East side maybe if you had paid more attention in school you could have done the math.

East side, look, there are 7 hrs in the school day and for most teachers there is some additional time before or after work several days each week. You can't really think that since they had a 1 hour exercise on Wednesday to ensure uniform grading that there is no time they put in during the rest of the school year grading actual papers. Yet, you can't resist saying something so silly. No one is that !@#$%ed.
Assume it's only 2 hours per day in planning lectures; preparing tests, exercises, and other assignments; and in grading and other things. Many teachers chaperone dances and other events, and they write letters of recommendation and other things to help out students. Even if the total is only 1850 hours per year, which seems conservative, how many hours do think the average lawyer, doctor, or other professional works per year? Most of those other professionals get 1 month vacation, not the two weeks Shill used. Indeed, most doctors take Wednesday afternoons off. When I used to caddy, we called Wednesday, “doctor's day.” Some also take Friday afternoons, too, and they go on tax deductible conferences in vacation spots. Are you as outraged at their hours and remuneration as you are at teachers? If not, why not?
By the way, you still haven't explained why teachers should contribute their time for Wednesday’s training without pay. Do you have a reason other than your old cliche? Oh, and I'll ask again, what do/did you do for a living?

Wasn't this article about the resignation of Mr. Harris? Funny how we always find our way back to teacher bashing.

Union members hide behind psuedo names, bash a former public official who negotiated good contracts with their powerful unions and they complain about teacher/ union bashing. I dont recall ever hearing a negative word about teachers from the man. You union members do a disservice to your co workers, students and to the whole town posting these hateful commens At least have the decency to identify who you are.

Distant Cousin: really? Teachers perform an important job and i respect that, but comparing their hours to a medical doctor is just ignorant. Most doctors work 50 to 60 hours per week, are on call thru the night, lives depend on their decisions 24/7. They cant get a medical degree from RI college but you can get a teachers degree at every level there and most public school teachers in RI did just that. There is a big difference in cost and admission from RIC to Yale, Harvard and Columbia dont you think?